Victor Osimhen could be set for a significant salary increase after Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal tabled a mammoth offer to Napoli for the Nigerian forward.
The Summer of Saudi has continued in full force as Al-Hilal made an eye-watering contract offer for the 24-year-old striker that would make him the highest-paid African player and by far the highest-paid Nigerian footballer of all time.
After the likes of Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, Alan Saint-Maximin, Ruben Neves, Jordan Henderson, Kalidou Koulibaly and Fabinho moved for hefty pay-packages, Osimhen was the latest player to draw their attention.
Al-Hilal's contract offer to Osimhen was a deal worth £52 million a year and a weekly salary of £1 million a week. His yearly salary when converted to Naira would be worth over N50 billion.
€52m per year package for Osimhen by Al Hilal.
In our local currency = Over N50,000,000,000 per year.
This is football madness 🔥
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) July 31, 2023
They plan on having him join the club and become teammates with new signings Sergej Milinkovic Savic, Neves, Malcom and Koulibaly.
The transfer offer made by Al Hilal to the Serie A champions was £120 million (€140 million), but the offer was rebuffed by the Gil Azzurri, who are desperate to keep the player for the 2023/2024 season.
The striker scored 31 goals in 38 games last season and helped a brilliant Napoli side to win their first Scudetto in 33 years as well as becoming the top scorer in the league.
Osimhen also broke the record for the most goals scored by an African player in one season and he became the highest-scoring African player in Serie A history, surpassing George Weah.
Proposed Victor Osimhen salary compared to other Nigerian celebrities
For context, popular Nigerian actor Jim Iyke is one of the highest-paid actors in Nollywood and his net worth is $30 million (just over £23 million). When his net worth is converted to Nigerian currency, it converts to ₦22.8 billion.
Osimhen's yearly salary would have been more than twice that number if he had accepted the offer from the Saudi club.
Napoli are desperate to keep the Nigerian on their team this season and beyond and have already prepared a new contract offer for the player.
Victor Osimhen is open to staying at the club and the club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said that the player will stay unless a crazy offer comes in for him.
Al-Hilal's offer was obviously seen as not crazy enough to change his mind.
It is obvious that the player's valuation is pretty steep for potential suitors as the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have looked elsewhere for an alternative option in that position.
This development plays into Napoli's hands and the rejection of the Al Hilal bid indicates that buying him may require a world record fee for a striker.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 months ago
