Napoli and Victor Osimhen negotiating renewal

Victor Osimhen returned from holiday on Tuesday to meet Napoli chiefs over a potential contract extension amid Paris Saint-Germain links.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, both parties are optimistic about reaching an agreement, which would see the 24-year-old become the club’s highest-paid player in history.

Following the Nigerian’s Scudetto-winning exploits in 2022/23, the reigning Serie A champions are ready to increase his annual salary to a whopping €6.5 million.

Osimhen’s current contract at Napoli runs out in 2025, but the Italians hope to convince their headline performer to extend it until 2027 with a new bumper package.

Next to his ‘partner in crime’ Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the club-record signing is a focal point of new manager Rudi Garcia’s plans for the upcoming title-defending campaign.

Aurelio De Laurentiis has recently addressed continuous talks of the striker’s potential move to PSG, stating only an ‘irrefutable offer’ could tempt Napoli to relinquish their talisman.

From where De Laurentiis stands, Osimhen is untouchable, as witnessed by an astronomic €200m price tag slapped on the ex-Lille marksman’s shoulders.

The feeling seems mutual, considering Osimhen has hinted at a potential long-term stay at the Diego Maradona Stadium despite being touted as Lionel Messi’s successor in Paris.

Negotiations that would satisfy both parties are moving forward with optimism after the striker’s agent, Roberto Calenda, met the Napoli hierarchy at a hotel in Dimaro on Tuesday.

However, Calenda’s request to insert a €100m release clause in a possible new contract could prove a significant roadblock, knowing De Laurentiis’ lofty ambitions.

Osimhen’s representative is reportedly still in Naples, trying to define his client’s new wages and convince Napoli to set a reasonable termination clause to facilitate renewal.

If the Nigeria international does stay put, it could incentivise Kvaratskhelia to turn his back on Newcastle United’s audacious attempt to prise him away from Serie A.

As the two fundamental parts of Garcia’s project, the pair’s stay is the club’s priority, perhaps even at the expense of finding a replacement for the recently departed Kim Min-jae.