Victor Osimhen: Napoli President De Laurentiis Aims Subtle Dig at Nigerian Star Amid Chelsea Links

• Aurelio De Laurentiis takes a swipe at Chelsea target Victor Osimhen over his fitness issues
• The Nigerian missed 16 games for Napoli this campaign as they failed to defend the league
• The Super Eagles star missed the Parthenopeans' 2-2 draw with Fiorentina on Friday night

The president of SSC Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has aimed a subtle dig at Victor Osimhen amid links with Premier League giants, Chelsea.

The Nigerian international has been linked with a summer move to the Blues, with other top European sides still monitoring his situation at Napoli.

Osimhen has struggled with his fitness this season, having been injured on several occasions, but he has still managed to contribute decent goals.

Despite struggling with injury, the Super Eagles striker has scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances for the Parthenopeans this season.

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Due to a muscle strain injury, the former Lille striker missed Napoli's 2-2 draw against Fiorentina on Friday (May 17).

In an interview with journalists according to Vesuviolive, as per All Nigeria Soccer, De Laurentiis stylishly attacked Osimhen over his fitness issues this season. The Napoli president stated that his most expensive player has been unavailable for several games.

"You can't force coaches to train a club, or you can't make sure that your first striker scores twenty-eight goals, that he is not ill, and that perhaps he participated in 50% of the matches he should have played," he said.

"I collect everything about myself. That's fine, but I mean, at a certain point, I also send something back to the sender."

Osimhen missed 16 games this season, which affected Napoli's Serie A title defence, and might also miss out on qualifying for the European Conference League next season.

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Finidi sweats over Osimhen’s injury

Sports Brief earlier reported that Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George, is sweating on Osimhen's availability for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and the Benin Republic.

The Nigerian striker featured in Napoli's 2-0 loss to Bologna in the Italian Serie A at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Saturday.

The Super Eagles star was on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes of play but could miss Nigeria's next qualifying games.