REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 28: Victor Osimhen of SSC Napoli applauds the fans whilst holding the match ball after his hat-trick during the victory in the Serie A TIM match between US Sassuolo and SSC Napoli at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on February 28, 2024 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
More details emerge from the investigation into Victor Osimhen’s €70m transfer in 2020, with representatives from both Napoli and Lille noting the ‘risks’ of this deal. ‘Hopefully they won’t accept, or we’ll have to resort to robbery.’
La Repubblica newspaper has been publishing excerpts from the WhatsApp chats between various figures involved in the agreement, which form the basis of an investigation seeking trial for false accounting.
In the summer of 2020, Lille proposed that they would sell Osimhen to Napoli for effectively €50m, but adding a further €20m in artificially inflated transfer fees for extra players.
These turned out to be Orestis Karnezis plus three youth team players (Luigi Liguori and Claudio Manzi valued at €4m each, and Ciro Palmieri at €7m).
Napoli and Lille well aware of Osimhen doubts
You can read the rest of the conversations here, but more have emerged in La Repubblica showing that Napoli directors Cristiano Giuntoli and Andrea Chiavelli were well aware this deal was fraught with danger.
“He told me to send it, but hopefully they won’t accept, otherwise we’ll have to resort to robbery,” wrote general manager Chiavelli to director of sport Giuntoli on July 17, 2020.
It was accompanied by a series of emojis, but this was an early version of the transfer proposal, which would then change several times before a final agreement.
More messages were exchanged between Giuntoli and his assistant Giuseppe Pompilio, with references to Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis.
“I am staying still. He told me to send it, but hoping they won’t accept. I have to talk to Aurelio first. What a terrorist,” wrote Giuntoli.
“This is psychological terrorism,” replied Pompilio.
“Terrorist,” added Giuntoli. “Write that we are lucky Amrabat and Kumbulla didn’t want to come. Otherwise we’d have to play this season with Petagna.”
This alarmed Pompilio, who again noted the danger of this particular deal.
“You mustn’t write anything. Don’t leave any traces in the emails. You can say what you like in person.”
Pompilio was again eager to point out to Giuntoli just how irregular the approach to valuation of the three youth team players was.
It needs to be noted that these three were valued at a total of €15m, but they never played for Lille, immediately loaned out to third or even fourth division teams, then eventually released from their contracts.
“These are my notes. It will take me at least 2-3 hours to analyse the position of our players to be transferred to them. I need to download their histories from the federal system and then make individual calculations. I’ll send them on to you as soon as I’m done.”
Giuntoli tried to rush Pompilio, urging him to send over a rough estimate immediately.
“Cri, trust me. You cannot realise what you just asked me. Let me work.”
The doubts about the whole Osimhen transfer structure were also raised within the Lille camp, specifically by general manager Julien Mordacq, who wrote to CEO Marc Ingla.
“It is my duty to warn you regarding the risks associated with this deal, based on the elements I already discussed with you in person. Every detail considered ‘strange’ could generate questions on the overall agreements (relative to 5 players) and we’d need to provide some real responses and justification.”
Napoli do not risk any points penalties because the sporting justice system already cleared them of wrongdoing, but this evidence has emerged because the Tribunal in Rome is seeking trial for false accounting.
