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Barely 24 hours after being named African Footballer of the Year in a ceremony held in Morocco, Victor Osimhen returned to Europe to guide Napoli to the Champions League knockout stages.
And now that qualification for the business end of the competition is done, Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, is ready for another meeting with the club after watching the European success.
The 24-year-old Super Eagles’ striker was named African Men’s Footballer of the Year on Monday at a ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco and was immediately back in action for his club, playing 69 minutes of their decisive Champions League clash with Braga.
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Osimhen drove Napoli to the Champions League Round of 16 with his 33rd minute goal, his seventh of the season across all competitions. His contract expires with the club in 18 months but Aurelio De Laurentiis recently stated that a new deal had been almost fully agreed.
Corriere dello Sport via TMW reported that Osimhen’s agent, Calenda, was in the stands of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to watch Napoli’s win over Braga, and he is now expected to meet De Laurentiis.
The meeting could be the key step forward for the Nigerian striker’s contract renewal, which still hasn’t been finalised despite the Napoli president’s claims earlier this month that the parties were at ‘the signing stage’.
Osimhen could command interest in the January transfer window should his contract renewal not get finalised before next month, being the most exciting centre-forward available in the transfer market currently.
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