Why I dumped English clubs for Napoli – Osimhen explains

Victor Osimhen, the latest Napoli signee, says he turned down the opportunity of playing in the English Premier League for Serie A because he felt Napoli was the best choice for him.

The 21-year-old completed an initial €60m deal move; a fee that could rise to €81m after a number of performance-related add-ons.

Osimhen scored 18 goals in all competitions for Lille in 2019/20 before the French season ended prematurely due to COVID-19.

Several English clubs including Manchester United and Liverpool were reportedly linked to the Nigerian striker.

But in an interview with CAFonline.com, the Golden Boot winner at the 2015 U-17 World Cup in Chile said he opted to join Napoli because of the future.

“Many predicted I will move to the EPL, and I had a lot of interesting offers from some clubs. But Napoli was the best choice for me,” Osimhen told CAFonline.com.

“It was so because of the kind of player I want to be in the future, and the kind of great career I want to have. I have no doubt that Napoli is the club I need to achieve that greater height.

“The relationship between me and Coach (Gennaro Gattuso) and the president (Aurelio De Laurentiis) is a very interesting one because even before I came to Napoli, I spoke with both. They convinced me, even more, to sign for Napoli. The relationship is going very well, and I just want to repay them on the pitch for the trust they have in me.”