Napoli owner says Osimhen is not for sale to Bayern

Presidents of football clubs usually talk a lot about keeping a player only to sell them a little later, but not when it comes to Napoli.

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis was asked what he thought of Victor Osimhen reportedly being on Bayern Munich’s radar. Stories about Bayern’s need to strengthen at the center forward position have been quite rife ever since star striker Robert Lewandowski left the Bavarian giants for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has done far better than anyone would have expected in replacing the Polish superstar, but the feeling that Bayern could still upgrade in the position remains. Among the names linked to Bayern to fill the void at striker is Osimhen.

But De Laurentiis is quite straightforward about what he thinks of the move. “He’s not for sale!” Managers speaking about not letting players go only to immediately let them go is not uncommon, but it does not usually happen with Napoli’s hard nosed owner. He has a real reputation for simply not letting good players leave.

Besides, De Laurentiis knows he really does not have any current incentive to let Osimhen leave. “Our players are in demand, but I don’t have to sell anyone. We don’t have any debts.”

However, there will be one issue the Italian will keep his eye on. Osimhen’s contract runs until 2025, meaning that there may not be many opportunities to cash in on Napoli’s record transfer after this year, provided he does not extend. If Bayern fails to procure the striker in 2023, there exists the outside chance that they’d have better luck in 2024.