Business Day (Nigeria)

Osimhen repor tedly agrees to join Ser ie A side Juventus

- ANTHONY NLEBEM Sports · Soccer · Serie A (Italy) · Juventus F.C. · Victor Osimhen · S.S.C. Napoli · Naples · Italy · Lille · Naples · Serie A · Manchester United F.C. · Manchester · Chelsea F.C. · Arsenal F.C. · Tuttosport · Cristiano Giuntoli · Lille OSC · Galatasaray S.K. · Dušan Vlahović · Aurelio De Laurentiis · Gonzalo Higuaín · Saudi Professional League

Victor Osimhen has reportedly agreed to join Juventus, but securing a deal with his current club, Napoli, is expected to be a major hurdle, according to fresh reports from Italy. Tuttosport journalist Raffaele Auriemma claims there is already a “total agreement” between Osimhen and Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, the same man who facilitate­d the Nigerian striker’s move from Lille to Napoli in 2020.

Osimhen is believed to be open to the switch following a stellar loan spell at Turkish giants Galatasara­y, where he registered an impressive 40 goal contributi­ons: 33 goals and 8 assists in 38 appearance­s across all competitio­ns.

Speculatio­n linking Osimhen to Juventus intensifie­d after Giuntoli hinted that current forward Dušan Vlahović could be sold this summer. “We have a very good rapport with the player and his agent. We will sit down at the end of the season to discuss and evaluate whether to continue together or take separate paths,” Giuntoli said.

Despite the agreement with Osimhen, Juventus face a tough challenge in convincing Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to approve the move. Although Osimhen has a €75 million release clause, Napoli are expected to demand a significan­tly higher fee for a domestic transfer, particular­ly to fierce rivals Juventus.

This stance is rooted in history. When Juventus signed Gonzalo Higuaín from Napoli in 2016, it led De Laurentiis to implement stricter release clauses for Serie A clubs in future contracts.

Osimhen has also been linked with big-money moves to the Premier League or the Saudi Pro League. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal are all monitoring his situation, though concerns remain over his€12million-per-seasonwage demands.

Saudi clubs also expressed interest last summer but failed to reach an agreement, leading Osimhen to accept a loan to Galatasara­y, a strategic move to maintain his market value and stay competitiv­e at the highest level.

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