Victor Osimhen was pressured to join Napoli whilst father was dying

Updated: 23 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Victor Osimhen was pressured to join Napoli whilst father was dying

Photo: AP

Victor Osimhen has revealed that he was "pressured and deceived" into signing for Napoli in 2020 whilst his father was dying, saying he never saw a draft of his contract and felt ignored by agents and club officials.

The Nigerian striker, now at Galatasaray, made the explosive claims in testimony to Italian authorities amid an ongoing capital gains investigation into his €80 million transfer from Lille to Napoli - one of the most expensive deals in Serie A history.

'I Didn't Even See My Father Before He Died

Osimhen told investigators that during the summer of 2020, whilst he was grieving and mentally unprepared, pressure from Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis, club CEO Andrea Chiavelli, and his agent at the time, Jean Gerard, left him with no choice but to sign.

According to leaked testimony reported by la Repubblica, Osimhen said:

My previous agent, Jean Gerard, had expressed serious interest from Napoli, but he was only interested in my transfer and not in my father's health.

At that time, I didn't have the head to think about football. I just wanted to know how my father was.

Gerard called me to meet him in Nice. Luís Campos and Lille President Gérard López were also there. They told me I should move to Napoli, that there was already an agreement in principle and that, due to the pandemic, it was a good opportunity for Lille. But I knew nothing about it.

Days later, as negotiations continued, Osimhen's father passed away.

The striker said he was "extremely angry" when his agent insisted he travel to Naples immediately, unaware of his grief.

They even told me I would have to leave for Naples the next day, without even realising my father's death.

I went to Naples anyway, but I wouldn't have signed anything.

'I Signed a Contract I Never Saw'

Osimhen said he met De Laurentiis and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli in Capri, where they discussed the club's project.

He asked me if I had seen the contract, but I hadn't received anything.

My agent later gave me a piece of paper - a pseudo-agreement - nothing official. I felt deceived.

He later replaced his agent and brought in William D'Avila and Roberto Calenda to complete negotiations.

The final deal was signed in Lille at the end of July 2020, with Napoli and Lille officials present.

Career of Success Shadowed by Controversy

Despite the rocky start, Osimhen's time at Napoli was historic.

He scored 76 goals and 18 assists in 133 games, fired the club to their first Scudetto in 33 years, and became Serie A's top scorer and the highest-scoring African in league history.

However, his relationship with De Laurentiis deteriorated amid disputes over new contracts and release clauses.

Osimhen was later excluded from the 2024/25 squad and loaned to Galatasaray, who signed him permanently this summer.

Now, Italian authorities are investigating whether the 2020 deal between Napoli and Lille involved inflated player valuations to mask false accounting - part of a wider probe into capital gains in football transfers.

The story that began in grief and confusion has come full circle, with the transfer that launched Osimhen's stardom now under legal scrutiny.

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