I was forced to sign for Napoli in 2020 — Osimhen reveals
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has revealed that he was pressured into signing for Italian Serie A club Napoli in 2020 by his former agent, Jean Gerard, while his father was critically ill.
According to Tribal Football, the 26-year-old forward, who joined Napoli from French club Lille for a reported €80 million during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, said he had little control over the move.
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As Serie A prepared to restart amid the pandemic, Osimhen was mourning his father’s passing while facing strong pressure from Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and CEO Andrea Chiavelli to finalise the deal.
As reported by La Repubblica and cited by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, Osimhen, who sealed a mega-money summer move to Galatasaray, claimed the transfer was completed without his full knowledge or proper documentation.
“My previous agent, Jean Gerard, had expressed serious interest from Napoli, but he was only focused on my transfer, not my father’s health,” Osimhen said, as quoted by Tribal Football.
“At that time, I didn’t have the head to think about football; I just wanted to know how my father was doing.”
The Nigerian international recounted being summoned to a meeting in Nice with Gerard, Lille sporting director Luis Campos, and club president Gerard Lopez, where he was told the Napoli deal was already in place.
“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,” Osimhen explained.
“I was extremely angry with Lille and my agent because I hadn’t been able to see my father before he died. They even told me I would have to leave for Naples the next day, without realising my father’s death.”
Osimhen added that although he eventually travelled to Naples, he was reluctant to sign the contract.
“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 I met De Laurentiis in Capri,” he said.
“He told me about the city and the club, but I didn’t understand what he was saying to [sporting director Cristiano] Giuntoli because they were speaking Italian. He asked me if I had seen the contract, but I hadn’t received anything.”
