Victor Osimhen is at the verge of leaving French Ligue 1 club, Lille, to Italian Serie A side, Napoli, in this summer transfer window, and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has urged him to shine at Napoli.
The President of NFF, Amaju Pinnick, said he has been following the Italian club since the days when football icon, Diego Armando Maradona, was playing for them and believe that the Nigerian striker can match and even surpass the records of the Argentine football legend while at the club.
Maradona had one of the best times of his illustrious career at Napoli between 1984 and 1991. While at the club, he scored over 81 goals in 188 appearances. In those years, Maradona helped Napoli to win two Italian Serie A, one Coppa Italia, one UEFA Cup and one Supercoppa Italiana.
Now, Nigerian 21-year-old forward is expected to join the club this summer and probably help the club to achieve what Maradona achieved for himself and for the club. The last update on Victor Osimhen’s move to the club says Napoli have agreed on an initial €60 million transfer fee with Lille, his current club.
Osimhen is happy with Napoli move
The NFF president disclosed that he has spoken with Osimhen and the 21-year-old striker has revealed to him that he is happy with his move to Napoli and promised to make the club proud.
“I’ve followed them from when they had Diego Armando Maradona”, Amaju Pinnick said. “Naples is a proud city and also in football terms.
“Osimhen’s a source of pride for African football. He’s someone who is disciplined but focused on objectives, and if he wants something, he knows how to get it. He made the right decision for his career. I already believe he’ll receive the right support from the club and its fans.
“Napoli is the right club for him to achieve important results, and Osimhen will always give his best.
“I’ll say it now: Victor will do everything possible to match and even break the records set by a legend like Maradona. I talked to Victor just a few minutes ago, he’s very excited about his new experience and a new club.
“Napoli is a big name in world football. It’ll be a new challenge for him and he told me: ‘President, I’ll make Naples proud’. If he gets the right support, I guarantee he’ll stick to his word and make you all proud. Believe in him and he’ll help the team achieve their objectives.
“I’ll come to Naples next season to watch some of their games. Osimhen is young and could stay at Napoli for a long time.”
Osimhen joined Lille from RSC Charleroi on August 1, 2019. In his first full season at Lille, Osimhen has scored 18 goals and has made 6 assists in 38 appearances for the club. This performance attracted the attention of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal but he decided to go with Napoli. The under-17 FIFA World Cup winner is expected to be confirmed a Napoli player in the coming days.
