- Victor Osimhen attracted worldwide attention with 31 goals in the 2022/2023 season
- He demanded an apology from Napoli when their TikTok called him a ‘coconut’
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins!’
Liverpool have reportedly joined the race for Victor Osimhen’s coveted signature.
European giants are on high alert for the red-hot Napoli star following his public fallout with the club last month.
Jurgen Klopp sent one of his scouts to watch him in action during his international duty The sun.
Osimhen played 60 minutes of Nigeria’s friendly against Saudi Arabia in Portugal before a hamstring injury forced him to retire. He did not play in their next friendly match against Mozambique.
It means Liverpool joins the list of clubs with serious interest in the 24-year-old alongside Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Liverpool are reportedly interested in Napoli star Victor Osimhen and have sent a scout to observe him during his international duty with Nigeria
The Sun claims Jurgen Klopp has sent one of his scouts to keep an eye on Victor Osimhen during the international break
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Osimhen’s future at Napoli was thrown into doubt last month when the club released two controversial TikTok videos that appeared to mock him.
The first apparently mocked him for missing a penalty, and the second branded him a ‘coconut’ in what has been widely condemned as racist. Both videos were immediately deleted.
In the wake of the scandal, his agent suggested they could take legal action, Osimhen demanded a public apology and deleted all but one of his Instagram posts featuring a Napoli shirt, and the social media manager responsible resigned.
Napoli did not publicly apologize after the outrage, insisting they “never wanted to make a mockery of” their talisman.
Two clips on the club’s official account ridiculed the striker in September, sparking strong reactions
Osimhen was mocked for appealing against Bologna and missing the penalty
Napoli’s social media manager, Alessio Fortino, confirmed his departure on Instagram
Osimhen scored 31 goals last season and has six to his name in ten games so far this season
Their first post showed Osimhen appealing for a penalty with the caption ‘Give me a penalty please’, before showing himself firing a penalty wide of Bologna.
The second video, in which he was called a “coconut,” was impossible to justify.
The striker then called for unity and thanked fans for their support and kindness, saying he was ‘forever grateful’ to them, but the controversy put his suitors on high alert.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, he was reportedly already annoyed that the club stopped him from filming a charity video for Africa, and refused to celebrate the next match against Udinese.
Napoli president Aurelio Di Laurentiis has rejected at least two serious bids for one of European football’s leaders this summer.
He even put a rather prohibitive price tag of £150 million on his crown jewel.
However, the Nigeria international’s contract expires in 2025 and the Serie A champions will undoubtedly face further challenges in retaining him.