Victor Osimhen was reportedly “locked in a hotel for three days” to prevent Liverpool signing him after “Jurgen Klopp made his move”.
The 24-year-old is the subject of widespread interest from the Premier League and beyone after a stunning season in which he’s scored 28 goals in 36 games to help Napoli to their first Scudetto in 33 years.
But if it weren’t for Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli’s “biggest masterpiece”, it all could have been so different.
Osimhen moved to Napoli from Lille in the summer of 2020 for £70m, with the Italian side beating Liverpool to his signature.
And Giandomenico Costi, who worked as an advisor at Napoli between 2018 and 2021, has revealed how Giuntoli pulled off the transfer, locking Osimhen away until he agreed to join, with Klopp knocking at the door.
“The signing of Osimhen is Giuntoli’s biggest masterpiece,” Costi told Tuttosport.
“He [Osimhen] was locked in a hotel for three days. Giuntoli knew Liverpool were interested, and Jurgen Klopp had made his move. However, Cristiano spoke to Osimhen in the hotel for three days until he convinced him to accept Napoli.
“He was full of energy. Giuntoli is a director who would call you 100 times a day. But he knew Victor very well, he had even followed him at Charleroi.”
Centre-back Kim Min-jae is another of Giuntoli’s recruits at Napoli, and the South Korean, like Osimhen, has been crucial to Napoli’s flying form this season after he was brought in to replace Chelsea-bound Kalidou Koulibaly.
But Costi claims the process to land Kim was far more simple.
“With Kim, it was easier,” Costi added. “Cristiano didn’t need to scrutinise many defenders to understand that he was the right one!”
Both players could be on the move this summer, with Chelsea reportedly leading the charge for Osimhen, though he will cost them an eye-watering £130m.
Kim meanwhile looks ‘destined’ for Manchester United, although reports over how advanced his move to Old Trafford is seem to contradict each other on an hourly basis.
