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Napoli has completed the club record signing of Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen from Ligue 1 side, Lille.
Osimhen who bagged 18 goals in 38 appearanced for Lille in the just concluded 2019-20 season joins Napoli for a club record €50 million (£45m/$59m) fee.
Speculations had linked the forward with several top European clubs after his topnotch form in front of goal, including scoring against Premiere league clubs Arsenal and Liverpool but Osimhen has opted for the Serie A side.
Osimhen has scored four goals in 10 appearances for the super Eagles of Nigeria. He first moved to Europe in 2017 with Wolfsburg in German Bundesliga, before joining Charleroi in Belgium on a initial loan deal which was later made permanent.
He was prolific in Belgium as he scored an impressive 36 goals in 37 appearances, earning a €14m (£13m/$17m) transfer to Ligue 1, where his scoring exploits continued.
The Nigerian will be leading Napoli’s attack next season as the aim to bounce back to the Champions League after missing out this year. Napoli will end the Serie A season at seventh, although their Coppa Italia victory has guaranteed them Europa League group stage qualification.
President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick while reacting to speculation of the move said the highly-rated-21-year-old is capable of making similar impact at Napoli as Argentine great Diego Maradona once did.
Pinnick in an interview with Kiss Kiss Radio last week said: “I think Victor Osimhen is an excellent signing for Napoli. I’ve followed them from when they had Maradona. Naples is a proud city and also in football terms.
“Osimhen is 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.
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“Napoli are 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.”
Source: Guardian
This post was written by Obiajulu Joel Nwolu.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.