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Osimhen
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed why he rejected Paris Saint-Germain’s €200m bid for Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, citing a promise made to head coach Antonio Conte, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
De Laurentiis told Corriere della Sera that PSG had offered more than €200m for the pair as a package deal, but he refused to sell because he had promised Conte he would keep the players at the club.
“I could have sold him at that moment. PSG had offered over €200m for the Kvara and Osimhen package,” De Laurentiis said.
“However, I had promised Conte I would keep him, and I didn’t feel like going back on my word. With those funds, the idea was to buy Gyokeres.”The Napoli chief explained that Kvaratskhelia’s eventual departure to PSG in January for €75m was forced by his agent’s demands and threats to use Article 17.
“I had to let him go because his agent was threatening to use Article 17,” De Laurentiis said.
“After the Georgian’s extraordinary first season, we immediately moved to negotiate a contract extension, increasing his salary and offering him a significant sum. However, his agent, Mamuka Jugeli, had other plans for himself and the player.”
The president revealed that during negotiations at the Euros in Germany, Kvaratskhelia’s agent continued stalling and made false claims about unpaid promises from former sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli.
Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia were instrumental in Napoli’s historic 2022/23 Serie A title triumph, their first in 33 years. The Nigerian striker was the league’s top scorer that season, whilst the Georgian winger was named MVP.
Both players have since departed, with Kvaratskhelia joining PSG for €75m and Osimhen completing a permanent move to Galatasaray for the same fee after a loan spell. Punch
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