Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has conceded that the club’s handling of a €200 million offer from Paris Saint-Germain, which targeted both Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, amounted to a significant transfer misjudgement — one he traces directly to advice he received from then-head coach Antonio Conte.
Speaking to The Athletic, De Laurentiis revealed that at the outset of Conte’s tenure, PSG and other interested parties submitted a combined €200 million bid for the two forwards. Conte, however, made his position clear: he was prepared to part with Osimhen but urged De Laurentiis to retain the Georgian winger. “When we started with Conte, we received an offer of €200m from PSG and others to sell Victor Osimhen and Kvara together. Mr Conte said, ‘Osimhen you can sell, but please don’t sell Kvara,'” De Laurentiis recounted.
De Laurentiis acted on that counsel — but the outcome did not unfold as anticipated. Kvaratskhelia was ultimately sold to PSG in January 2025, the very club that had originally sought him as part of the €200 million package. The Napoli president now characterises the entire episode as a “big mistake,” pointing to the significant friction it generated with the player’s family and agent in the intervening period.
Osimhen’s own departure from Naples was similarly protracted. High-profile moves to Chelsea and Al-Ahli both failed to materialise before the Nigerian striker eventually joined Galatasaray — initially on a loan arrangement — before the Turkish club secured his services permanently for a reported fee of €75 million. The 27-year-old has since been a transformative presence in Istanbul, helping Galatasaray win a domestic double last season and reportedly on course to claim another Turkish league title in the current campaign.
The situation highlights the complexities of managing elite talent, particularly when managerial preferences and commercial opportunities do not align. Conte, who guided Napoli to the Serie A title in the 2024-25 season before departing, had been instrumental in restoring stability to the club following a turbulent post-Scudetto period. His insistence on keeping Kvaratskhelia was rooted in the winger’s central role in his tactical setup, yet the Georgian’s eventual exit — under less favourable circumstances than the original PSG offer would have provided — left De Laurentiis publicly questioning the decision-making process.
Kvaratskhelia had been one of the most electrifying players in Europe since arriving at Napoli, forming a devastating partnership with Osimhen that powered the club’s 2022-23 Serie A title triumph. Their combined contribution during that campaign — widely regarded as one of the most potent attacking partnerships in Italian football that season — made the pair natural targets for Europe’s wealthiest clubs.
For Napoli, the consequences of the drawn-out transfer saga extended beyond the financial. The discord with Kvaratskhelia’s representatives, referenced by De Laurentiis, underscores the reputational and relational costs that can accompany delayed or mismanaged departures of high-profile players. With both forwards now elsewhere, the club faces the challenge of rebuilding a competitive attacking unit, while De Laurentiis’ candid admission signals an unusual degree of self-reflection from a president not typically associated with public contrition.
