Napoli striker Victor Osimhen turned down a proposal to move to Manchester United in the summer.
This is according to the player’s agent, Roberto Calenda, who spoke to Kiss Kiss’ Radio Goal program via SportWitness.
Osimhen was a legitimate target for United in the summer transfer window and was predicted to be United’s replacement should Cristiano Ronaldo end up leaving.
It is an open secret that Ronaldo was seeking to engineer a way out of Old Trafford but failed in his efforts as no elite club was interested in his services.
The 37-year-old’s agent, Jorge Mendes, proposed a swap deal in which his client would go to Naples and Osimhen would go to the other side.
This did not materialize due to Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of Napoli, demanding outrageous sums to the tune of €130m for the striker at the end of the window.
As well as Ronaldo staying with his club, Osimhen also stayed with the Gli Azzurri. The Serie A giants are currently top of the league and are flying in the Champions League with Luciano Spalletti.
Calenda, while alluding to United’s failed search, revealed: “Victor is an object of interest for many teams, he is certainly not a mystery.”
“I would add, however, that things are done in three: who sells, who buys and the player. It was immediately clear to me this summer because I knew there would be an uproar over the news that would come out from those who perhaps had other interests.”
He also added: “I, the boy and Napoli had clear ideas. Victor never had the will to leave Napoli. He always had a wish, to have a great season between the League and the Champions League”.
The agent, however, did not close the door on his client going over to the Red Devils and other potential suitors, and the facilitator stressed that the market is still dynamic and things can change at any time.
United must be alert to the Nigerian’s situation and, should he be available on the market, ensure they are in contention for his signing.
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