‘Lille exploited my father’s death’ – Victor Osimhen reveals intrigue behind controversial record transfer to Napoli

Victor Osimhen has accused Lille of exploiting his father’s death to force through his record move to Napoli in 2020, claiming he was pressured into leaving the French club while grieving and without seeing the contract he was meant to sign.

Speaking to La Repubblica during an investigation into the €80m transfer, which remains under scrutiny by Italian financial police, the Nigeria striker said he was “very angry” with both Lille and his former agent, Jean Gerard, for the way the deal was handled. Although Napoli were cleared of wrongdoing, prosecutors continue to examine what they describe as “inflated” valuations used to complete the move.

Osimhen, now playing for Galatasaray, recounted how his father’s illness and subsequent death coincided with mounting pressure from club officials to finalise his switch to Serie A.

Osimhen’s confusion and anger over unseen contract

“They told me I had to move to Napoli, that there was already an agreement in place,” he said. “But I didn’t know about any of it. Following my father’s death, I was very angry with both Lille and my agent because I didn’t get to see him before he died.”

Osimhen described a chaotic visit to Naples, where he met Aurelio De Laurentiis and other club executives but was not shown his contract.

“I asked my agent if I could see it, but he said he didn’t have it. I was stunned,” he recalled. “Eventually, he showed me a piece of paper with some pseudo-agreement with Napoli. I got angry and wanted to return to France.”

Despite his misgivings, Osimhen later completed the move with the help of new representatives. He went on to score 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli, firing them to a first Serie A title in 33 years and claiming the league’s Golden Boot in 2023.