Victor Osimhen has made a shocking revelation, claiming he was forced to sign for Napoli while his father was dying, describing the negotiations as “brutal” and leaving him “extremely angry.”
The now 26-year-old moved from French side Lille to Naples for a reported fee of around €80 million back in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Serie A restarted amid the pandemic, Osimhen was dealing with his father’s passing while facing strong pressure from Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, and CEO Andrea Chiavelli to sign his deal quickly.
Osimhen told Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, in testimony leaked by La Repubblica, that the transfer happened without his knowledge or proper records.
"My previous agent, Jean Gerard, had expressed serious interest from Napoli, but he was only interested in my transfer and not in my father's health. At that time, I didn't have the head to think about football; I just wanted to know how he was doing," the striker said.
"Gerard called me to meet him in Nice. Luis Campos and Lille president Gerard Lopez were also there. They told me I should move to Napoli, that there was already an agreement in principle and that, due to the pandemic, it was a good opportunity for Lille. But I knew nothing about it.
"I was extremely angry with Lille and my agent because I hadn't been able to see him before he died. They even told me I would have to leave for Naples the next day, without even realising my father's death," he added.
"I went to Naples anyway, but I wouldn't have signed anything. I met with the coach, who explained the project to me, and the next day with De Laurentiis in Capri.
“He told me about the city and the club, but I didn't understand what he was saying to Giuntoli because they were speaking in Italian. He asked me if I had seen the contract, but I hadn't received anything."