Osimhen, 25, is expected to leave the Serie A club this summer and he has now formally asked to leave, according to Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna.
Manna told reports (as per Football.London): “He asked to leave. We are calm because we have players in the squad who can replace him in the best way.
“However, we do not want to harm the integrity of the group and want to preserve it. We will see what will happen in the next few days.”
Manna’s comments come after Osimhen was left out of Napoli’s squad to face Modena in the Coppa Italia round of 64 on Saturday.
The Nigeria international is wanted by Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but Napoli are yet to receive an offer they deem acceptable.
However, their transfer activity suggests they are already planning for his departure.
So far this summer, Napoli have spent €47m on centre-back duo Alessandro Buongiorno and Rafa Martin, while Leonardo Spinazzola and Matija Popovic have arrived on free transfers.
Furthermore, they are planning on spending an additional €80m – with that money expected to come from the sale of Osimhen.
Firstly, Napoli are on the verge of signing Benfica winger David Neres for an initial fee of €25m, as per multiple reports. They are also hoping to purchase Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Billy Gilmour for €12m after positive talks with the Scotland international.
Their third target is Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku. Antonio Conte is determined to be reunited with the Belgian star, although Napoli appear to be waiting for Osimhen to officially leave the club before purchasing the ex-Inter Milan striker.
Chelsea are currently asking for €43m to sanction Lukaku’s exit as they look to trim down Enzo Maresca’s extremely bloated first-team squad.
