Barcelona had plans to sign Victor Osimhen as a Luis Suarez replacement, according to Roberto Calenda who is on the forward’s entourage.
Victor Osimhen is the latest big name in Naples.
The 21-year old sealed a five-year deal believed to be worth up to €80 million from Lille last month.
Coming off the back of an impressive debut season with Lille, the mantle is on Osimhen to show he’s not a ‘one season wonder’.
The Nigerian international bagged 18 goals in all competitions for Les Dogues last term before play was abruptly ended in the country.
Napoli had it all to do before they could get Osimhen to put pen to paper. Asides problems with agents, the Partenopei had to ward off interest from a number of top sides.
In fact, Barcelona already had the 21-year-old lined up to replace Suarez who could be leaving the club this summer. Roberto Calenda is part of the forward’s team and reveals the length Napoli went through to close the transfer.
“I usually never talk about these things, out of respect for professionalism and the club. It is right that Napoli say things as they went, they are the main players,” Calenda told Radio Marte.
“I can say that it was a well-conducted negotiation by the parties, we started from a distance. The signing took place with constant communication and we were good at keeping track of it.
“[It was a] difficult operation, Tottenham and Liverpool wanted Osimhen until the end, even Barcelona initially wanted him instead of Suarez. Napoli, however, did everything. They wanted it and took it.”
Osimhen made a good first impression of himself after scoring an eight-minute hatrick in Napoli’s recent friendly win. However, Gennaro Gattuso insists the young forward will need time to gel with his new teammates and surrounding.
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Victor Osimhen
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
