Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has refused to rule out the sale of either striker Victor Osimhen or winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the end of the season. The duo have combined to devastating effect to fire the Partenopei to the brink of the Serie A title, but this may not be enough to keep them at the club.
In an interview with TNT Sports Mexico following Napoli‘s 2-0 first leg win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday, De Laurentiis admitted that there were no guarantees that either of his star men would be at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona by the end of the summer.
No guarantees from ADL
The media mogul insisted that all his players were on good contracts and that he was able to refute offers for them, but only up to a point, and was not able to offer definitive confirmation that Napoli would not cash in on their attacking stars if they received a tempting proposal.
“I am very good at making contracts, so when they come to me, they are blocked, so keeping them here won’t be difficult,” De Laurentiis declared.
“However, never say never. Sometimes there are offers you can’t refuse, so you never know. To me, we’ll see them shine here for a long time.”
Why are Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia sought after?
Into his third season at Napoli, Osimhen has established himself as one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers and the Nigeria international struck his 20th goal of the season against Frankfurt. Leading the way in the Serie A top goalscorer chart with 18, Osimhen looks on course to claim the capocannoniere crown as he fired the Partenopei to the scudetto.
Kvaratskhelia, meanwhile, has arguably been the signing of the season in Italy after landing from Dinamo Batumi for a mere €12 million. The Georgia international has taken Serie A by storm, with 10 goals and 11 assists from just 19 games making him the most feared winger in the league.
Indeed, the former Rubin Kazan star’s sensational form in his debut season has led to interest from Champions League holders Real Madrid, and they could be ready to test De Laurentiis‘ resolve to hold onto the 22-year-old.
