- PSG bid €200m for Osimhen & Kvaratskhelia
- De Laurentiis rejected to keep promise to Conte
- Napoli wanted Gyokeres as Nigerian’s successor
The Napoli president has revealed that PSG offered €200 million (£168m/$218m) to sign Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as a package deal. Despite the financial temptation, he refused to sell, citing a promise made to head coach Conte to keep Osimhen at the club. De Laurentiis admitted the plan was to use the funds to bring in Viktor Gyokeres as Osimhen’s replacement.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera De Laurentiis explained why Kvaratskhelia was sold after he rejected such a huge offer from PSG.
“After the Georgian’s first, formidable season, we immediately began negotiating a contract renewal, improving his salary and even offering him a very significant sum, because it was obvious that the limited compensation would attract half the world ready to make golden bridges for him. But his agent, Mamuka Jugeli, had other plans for himself and for the player,” he said.
“The agent wanted to get another club to pay him a very high commission, as well as a double-figure salary for Kvara. At the end of the second year of his contract, the European Championships in Germany took place. [Sporting director Giovanni] Manna, [advisor] Andrea Chiavelli, and I flew to Dusseldorf to resolve the matter, but Mamuka continued to stall, claiming that Cristiano Giuntoli had promised him money that hadn’t been paid. It wasn’t hard to verify, a lie.
“I should have sold him then; PSG had offered more than €200 million for the Kvara-Osimhen package. With those funds, the idea was to buy Gyokeres. But I had promised Conte I’d keep him, and I didn’t have the heart to do it.”
Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia were central to Napoli’s historic 2022-23 Scudetto win, the club’s first in 33 years. The Nigerian striker finished as Serie A‘s top scorer, while the Georgian winger was crowned the league’s MVP. Both stars have since departed, with Kvaratskhelia moving to PSG in January for €75m (£64m/$82m) and Osimhen sealing a permanent switch to Galatasaray for the same fee after a season-long loan. Despite losing their attacking duo, Gli Azzurri managed to secure another Serie A title last term.
Napoli begin their Serie A campaign this weekend against Sassuolo, aiming to build momentum after a busy summer. While the club missed the chance to cash in on a record-breaking deal, their focus is now on defending their domestic crown.
Additional reporting by Lelio Donato.
