According to Italian journalist Valter Di Maggio, Liverpool reportedly have an agreement in place with Victor Osimhen to join them next summer. The reporter told Area Napoli via Sport Witness about a possible U-turn from the 24-year-old striker and his agent about renewing their contract with Napoli, as Liverpool’s interest has turned their head.
Liverpool’s interest in Victor Osimhen is nothing new, with the Reds keen to sign the Nigerian in 2020, as per his agent Roberto Calenda. Instead, Napoli paid a significant amount of money to secure the 24-year-old striker, and he has been a resounding success at the club.
Osimhen’s 31 goals last season helped Napoli clinch the Serie A title after an enormous gap of 33 years. He has continued his form in the new campaign, already netting six times, but things aren’t calm in the background as his future hangs in the balance.
Napoli and Osimhen had embroiled in a public feud over a TikTok post. In the ensuing weeks, as things look calmer, there’s more to the situation in the background. A recent club statement tends to point towards the 24-year-old striker changing his mind about a potential contract renewal, verbally agreed between all parties.
The statement read, “President de Laurentiis never shared any negative comment about Victor. He just said that after verbally agreeing on plan to sign new deal, Osimhen changed his mind”. “We hope it’s just stand-by moment to think about it. In the next weeks we will discuss with his agent Calenda about the future”.
Now, journalist Valter Di Maggio insists Liverpool have an agreement in place with the striker to move next summer. The reporter suggests Osimhen and Calenda are catalysts in this decision, which would make Napoli re-think their strategy.
Di Maggio said, “The parties had reached an agreement for the renewal, but then Calenda and Osimhen went back on their word. What happened? There was the inclusion of another club, from the Premier League. I’m talking about Liverpool.”
“There would be frequent contacts, but I just learned something else: there would be agreements already reached. Let me clarify: the agreements would be between the Reds and the player, therefore they would not involve Napoli. I hope Laurentiis will be able to keep Victor Osimhen at least until June, but we can’t be sure.”
Liverpool have held a strong interest in Osimhen and recently scouted him during the international break. On paper, they may not need a new striker, but if the opportunity to sign the 24-year-old presents itself, they would certainly pounce on it.
Napoli could demand over £140 million for their star man, something Liverpool might have to think about in terms of feasibility. The Merseysiders are not flush with cash like some of their rivals, but they have always shown a knack for getting a big deal done at the right time.
Another Italian journalist, Salvatore Biazzo, recently ruled Liverpool out of the race, citing financial reasons. However, if Di Maggio’s claim has any accuracy, then they might actually hold concrete interest in the Napoli star.
From Di Maggio’s words, it appears that Liverpool could have a broad agreement on personal terms, but that’s very common in football transfers. The big issue would circle agreeing a fee with Napoli, with the Serie A champions unlikely to let him go without a fight.
