The Italian champions SSC Napoli can apparently avert a move by their top striker Victor Osimhen to Saudi Arabia – at least for the time being.
One number makes it clear with what financial power Saudi Arabia is currently attacking the top European leagues: Since this summer, eight of the ten best-paid footballers in the world have been playing in the Saudi Professional League. Victor Osimhen from SSC Napoli could also have been part of this illustrious group.
Al-Hilal, who recently signed Brazilian Neymar, had offered the 24-year-old a deal that would have earned him €50m over the next five years. In addition, the club offered a further 200 million euros transfer fee, but Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis remained firm: Osimhen will not be sold, instead the striker should extend his contract with Napoli.
De Laurentiis knocks on Performance of Contract
The counter offer: The SSC wants to increase Osimhen’s salary to ten million euros. However, Osimhen is demanding €12m and a €110m release clause – which would allow him to move next summer if a club is willing to pay the equivalent sum. An agreement on Osimhen’s required contract terms is apparently imminent.
“There are contracts and they must always be respected. From both sides, of course, because it is a bilateral relationship“said De Laurentiis when he turned down the sale of his striker. In doing so, he was expressing what was supposed to be a matter of course, which, however, no longer seems to have a firm hold in modern football, for example when one thinks of training strikes by players intending to make a change.
Numerous top stars
Clubs like FC Bayern and Chelsea, for example, were able to sell discarded players like Sadio Mané, N’Golo Kanté and Kalidou Koulibaly this summer without any financial loss and in return finance new record purchases. In the longer term, this could weaken European football as aging stars and big names help Saudi Arabia continue to market their league.
Who comes after Ronaldo and Neymar?
So far, it’s mainly “older” world stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar who have drawn the attention of the Saudi Arabian league. But even there, the clubs will probably soon try to attract younger players like Osimhen. So De Laurentiis shouldn’t be too happy about having blocked the offers from Saudi Arabia. Because with the new exit clause, Osimhen could also decide to move to Saudi Arabia next year. The clubs will not run out of state money by then – and top European clubs cannot keep up in the long run.