Chelsea, Arsenal camps unsettled as Osimhen agrees contract extension with Napoli
The new Africa Best Footballer of the Year Award winner and Nigeria’s striker, Victor Osimhen, has reportedly reached an agreement in principle with his current club Napoli on a contract extension, despite growing interest from top European clubs to secure his service.
Popular football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, reported that the 24-year-old striker will sign a one-year extension to his current deal, taking it to 2026 with a new release clause of about €130 million.
“Napoli reach an agreement in principle with Victor Osimhen on new contract with release clause included! It will be valid until June 2026, one more year.
The new clause would make him the most expensive player in Italy and in the world when it’s met.
“Final value of the clause, TDB — could be around €130m as per Sky. Official announcement expected soon,” Romano wrote on X Wednesday night.
The latest development will unsettle top clubs seeking to sign the Nigerian star player, especially Chelsea, Real Madrid and recently, Arsenal who reportedly initiated a move for the Napoli forward later in January.
The Nigerian international featured 32 times for Napoli in the Serie A last season, scoring 26 goals in a campaign that saw him win the Golden Boot and earn the club the Scudetto for the first time in over 30 years.
Earlier this season, it appeared that the star might be leaving Italy after the club posted a controversial video of the striker on TikTok in which he was referred to as a “coconut.” Napoli was then forced to issue the following statement: “Napoli, in order to avoid any exploitation on the topic, specifies that it never intended to offend or make fun of Victor Osimhen, the club’s technical asset.
“To demonstrate this, during the summer training camp, the club firmly rejected every offer received for the striker’s transfer abroad. It is a common experience that on social media, in particular on TikTok, expressive language has always been created with lightness and creativity, without having had, in the case involving Osimhen, any intention of mockery or derision. However, if Victor had perceived any offense towards him, that is not what the club intended.”
