Victor Osimhen is reportedly dissatisfied with the comments made by Aurelio De Laurentiis regarding his future, according to II Matino via TuttoMercatoWeb.
Amid the contract standoff between Osimhen and Napoli, De Laurentiis hinted that he was ready to cash in on the Nigerian international if need be, just as in the case of Kalidou Koulibaly.
🚨🇳🇬 Napoli president De Laurentiis on Osimhen: “We verbally agreed on new deal in August, then if things change on his side… life goes on”.
“Victor’s contract expires in June 2025, there’s always time”.
“Remember… I sold Koulibaly to Chelsea one year before end of his deal”. pic.twitter.com/zqXduSFVKS
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 19, 2023
In yet another development regarding Osimhen's long-term future at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, he is now reportedly unhappy with the Napoli president.
Osimhen has just over 18 months on his current contract and based on the events that have occurred over the last couple of months, there is no guarantee that the striker will put pen to paper on a new deal.
Relationship between Osimhen and Napoli continues to deteriorate
After leading the Partenopei to their first league title in over three decades last time out, everything seemed perfect for Osimhen in Naples.
The striker was the subject of a huge bid from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal in the summer, but Napoli were keen to keep hold of their star man.
🚨💣 Napoli have rejected a 2nd offer of €140m from Al-Hilal for Victor Osimhen. [L'Équipe] pic.twitter.com/2hR6Eo9B5b
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) July 31, 2023
Fast forward three months to the present, and things between Osimhen and his current employers have taken a downward spiral.
Osimhen's disgruntlement was believed to have started in the wake of Luciano Spalletti's exit from the dugout, with Rudi Garcia replacing the Italian manager.
The whole controversy surrounding Osimhen and Napoli's social media outlet on TikTok in the wake of his missed penalty against Bologna did not help matters.
So what next for Osimhen and Napoli?
Osimhen is currently sidelined with a thigh injury and has missed each of Napoli's last two matches across all competitions.
He is expected to return to action later next month, by the end of which the Africa Cup of Nations will be around the corner.
Osimhen is expected to lead the line for Nigeria and will be looking to continually deliver the goods having scored the most goals during the AFCON qualifiers.
Should things between Osimhen and Napoli remain the way they are at the moment, an exit will be on the cards in January, although it is worth noting that a deal of that magnitude might have to wait till the summer.
De Laurentiis' recent remarks on the striker have created further tension, and Osimhen's time in Napoli could be approaching an anti-climatic end.
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 days ago
