A Minister at the Embassy Mr Franklin Ogunyemi stated this on a radio programme aired on Kiss Kiss, a local radio station in Napoli.
Beginning from the number one citizen of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari, Ogunyemi said everyone is delighted for the 21-year-old Nigerian, including the Nigerian Mission in Rome, its Ambassador Yusuf Jonga Hinna, the Nigerian Community in Italy and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
Ogunyemi described Osimhen as strong footballer who is fast and tactical. He added that the Super Eagles forward has a characteristic of the typical Nigerian who never gives up. “For these reasons, I compare him to Ronaldo.”
According to the Minister, “Naples represents the right choice, the ideal place to grow and bring the club at even higher levels. Then, in Naples, as in the rest of Italy, there is a large representation of the Nigerian population who will certainly be cheering for Osimhen and Napoli.”
Napoli agreed an initial €60m fee with Lille for Victor Osimhen, with the Nigeria striker set to sign a five-year contract and join the Serie A side in the most expensive transfer deal of the summer so far.
The 21-year-old scored 18 goals in all competitions for Lille before the French season ended prematurely owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The deal had dragged for days because Osimhen changed his agent in the middle of negotiations. However, it is almost certain now that Osimhen would become a Napoli player because the club concluded negotiations with Lille on Thursday July 23.
Several English clubs including reigning champions Liverpool and Manchester United were linked to the Nigerian. The transfer fee could rise to €81m after a number of performance-related add-ons – €1m more than the African record transfer fee Arsenal paid Lille for the Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pépé last summer. Osimhen is poised to become the most expensive player from the African continent. There is also an option to extend Osimhen’s contract by a further year.
