da heads bet： The Nigeria international was tipped to make a big-money move this summer, but only PSG could possibly afford him…

da dobrowin： Earlier this month, Napoli unveiled their new kits for the coming campaign. Thanks to last season's stunning Serie A title triumph, each and every jersey will be adorned with the Italian tricolour for the first time in more than three decades.

"It represents a symbol of freedom after so many years of hard struggle," Aurelio De Laurentiis said, alluding not only to the Scudetto drought but also the fact that he had saved the club from bankruptcy when he took over in 2004.

Still, while the tricolour will undoubtedly prove a source of constant pride for Napoli's long-suffering supporters, the obvious question was whether star striker Victor Osimhen would be wearing the new shirts next season.

"Absolutely yes," De Laurentiis declared. But then, with his very next breath, the club president added, "If a more than indecent offer should arrive, we will deal with it. We're certainly capable of finding other players as strong as Osimhen."

As far as De Laurentiis was concerned, only Paris Saint-Germain had the kind of money required (approximately €200 million) to get him to the negotiating table. And even then, he couldn't foresee such an offer arriving from Parc des Princes, "I trust that Osimhen will stay with us."

However, after a couple of weeks of stasis in the transfer market, during which it was repeatedly reported that Osimhen was on the verge of signing a new contract with Napoli, significant moves are being made – most notably in Saudi Arabia – that have cast some doubt on the Nigerian staying at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

GettyFake news?

Just last week, claimed that Osimhen's agent, Roberto Calenda, had advised his client against agreeing a renewal before evaluating all of their alternative options. "Fake news", Calenda insisted on social media, before heading to Napoli's pre-season training camp at Dimaro to discuss an extension.

Progress was made during three days of talks and it was rumoured that Osimhen had agreed to extend his current deal, which expires in 2025, for a further two years. However, pen has yet to be put to paper and the claimed on Saturday that the proposed buy-out clause is the sticking point, with De Laurentiis wanting a fixed fee of around €180m and the player's team hoping for about two-thirds of that figure, so that he may eventually get the chance to line out for one of Europe's elite.

The net result is that Osimhen has apparently grown frustrated by the delay, as he had allegedly hoped to have his future resolved by this stage of the off-season.

The subsequent news that PSG have accepted Al-Hilal's staggering €300 million offer for Kylian Mbappe has only added to the growing sense of unease in Naples, where the fans are understandably desperate to see their beloved No.9 commit his future to the club.

AdvertisementGettyNapoli's devastating departures

Remember, Luciano Spalletti has already left, after falling out with De Laurentiis, and his shock exit took a little of the shine off the Scudetto celebrations. The Tuscan was, as Osimhen put it himself, "the architect" of Napoli's historic success, as well as the man responsible for the sensational improvement that saw the centre-forward nearly double his best-ever league haul last season, with 26 goals in just 32 Serie A games, resulting in the 24-year-old becoming the first African to finish as the Italian top flight’s top scorer. "The coach has given me as much confidence as I could possibly have," Osimhen enthused during an interview with last season.

It remains to be seen whether he will form quite the same bond with Rudi Garcia, a coach that remains respected in Italy after a previous stint at Roma but an undeniably underwhelming choice as Spalletti's successor.

Then, there’s the fact that Napoli have also lost Kim Min-jae, the colossal and classy South Korea defender who made replacing Kalidou Koulibaly look so easy, and, perhaps most significantly of all, Cristiano Giuntoli, the genius sporting director responsible for constructing a title-winning squad on a shoestring budget.

GettyThe Mbappe-led merry-go-round

Therefore, the mounting tension surrounding Osimhen's contractual situation is understandable, because, looking at the transfer market right now, any move involving Mbappe could start a centre-forward merry-go-round involving Osimhen, Harry Kane, Dusan Vlahovic, Romelu Lukaku and Randal Kolo Muani.

PSG – just like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester United – are presently lacking a No.9 and were being linked with Osimhen even before Mbappe threw their transfer plans into disarray by admitting that he had no intention of extending his contract beyond 2024.

Juventus are ready to let Vlahovic move to Paris – and sign Lukaku as his replacement – but if Mbappe were to agree to move to Saudi Arabia, it would not be at all surprising to see PSG move for either Kane or Osimhen, given the record-breaking fee Al-Hilal are willing to pay would immediately resolve the French club’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns and put Nasser Al-Khelaifi in a position to sign whichever forward he wants.

Thomas Tuchel’s admiration for Osimhen is well-known at this stage, but it is difficult to see Bayern Munich, renowned for their relative degree of prudence in the transfer market, paying anything remotely close to the fee that De Laurentiis is demanding.

The same goes for Madrid and Manchester United. Florentino Perez has already spent big on Jude Bellingham this summer and his primary focus is signing Mbappe, either this year or next – even if Osimhen would make for a far better Karim Benzema replacement.

As for United, Osimhen has openly admitted his desire to one day play in the Premier League and he would be perfect for a team crying out for a prolific and pacey striker who is also sensational in the air – “the complete package” as Spalletti calls him – but the price is clearly prohibitive for a club that is already exploring cheaper alternatives, such as Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund.

Getty'There is no better place to be'

As it stands, then, it still seems more than likely that Osimhen will spend at least one more season at the Maradona. It’s not as if he’s pushing to leave, after all. He’s repeatedly stated his love for Naples, recently claiming that “there is no better place to be”. But even if he wanted out, De Laurentiis has effectively priced him out of a transfer – for now at least.

Indeed, much will depend on Mbappe. The French forward is clearly the key to unlocking the summer transfer window, the potential catalyst for a chain reaction that could spark a succession of strikers switching sides.

But if Mbappe doesn’t move, it’s highly unlikely that Osimhen will either. PSG really are the only club capable of meeting De Laurentiis’ asking price, meaning Napoli fans should get the chance to see their favourite player tearing it up in Serie A again next season – only this time with a tricolour on his chest.