An intermediary has revealed why Inter Milan and Juventus stopped the Nigerian striker’s pursuit, Victor Osimhen, years ago after bis breakthrough at the Under-17 World Cup.
Meanwhile, reports reaching out suggest Osimhen has passed his Napoli medical, and the final details of his contract are being sorted.
According to a transfer market intermediary Patrick Bastinelli, both clubs wanted to sign the then 16-year-old before he eventually went to Wolfsburg.
Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, Bastinelli, who lauded Juventus and Inter for their scouting network, said both club directors Fabio Paratici and Piero Ausilio were spoken to about the Lille striker years ago, and they immediately appreciated his quality, saying he would flourish over time.
He further revealed that what stopped them from signing him then from a Nigerian academy was that he was only 17 years old and did not have an EU passport. As a result of that, they won’t be able to register him. They also said the deal fell through due to red tape issues.
Osimhen, who had a fantastic debut season with Lille, is on the verge of completing his transfer to the Pertonopei in the region of €80m, including bonuses. It was also reported that Adam Ounas could be part of the exchange.
His journey in Europe began with Wolfsburg in 2017 after turning down an advance from Arsenal. But he couldn’t flourish with the Bundesliga club. He then moved to Belgian side RSC Charleroi, where he experienced exploits before being signed by Lille for €14m last summer.
If the deal goes through, this is a huge profit for the club on the young lad they invested twelve months ago.
Top Nigerian journalist, Oma Akatugba claimed that the striker, who won the African player of the year in France has already undergone his medicals with Napoli staff, after being in the city for over a week for intensive negotiations.
They had to start all over again after Osimhen sacked his agent midway through the talks.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
