Napoli president opens up about interest in star duo

Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are very quickly becoming an iconic duo at Napoli, with both players at the forefront of the club’s push to glory this season.

Kvaratskhelia has registered 27 goal contributions in 25 games this season, while striking partner Osimhen has notched 24 goals and assists in 24 games.

Both players have become the leading figures in Napoli’s push for their first Scudetto in over three decades, with the Gli Azzurri already 15 points ahead of the chasing pack.

Napoli took a huge stride towards the Champions League last eight with a 2-0 first leg victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday night, with both Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia impacting the game.

The Nigerian grabbed the opening goal, while the Georgia international assisted the second after missing a penalty that could have given his side the lead earlier in the game.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was pleased with the team’s performance, claiming he predicted they would have a good season before praising the players for being reliable.

“I had predicted we would have a great season,” De Laurentis told TNT Sport. “When you have the same players for a long time, they tend to lose motivation. These new players have proved to be reliable.

“The thing that I like is that this side goes beyond single players. We’ve been in Europe for 14 years, and I think we are the only one in Italy and it was nice to find players like Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Gonzalo Higuain.

“The fact that we now have Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, Kim [Min-Jae], and other players in midfield means this team will last in time.”

De Laurentis was then asked whether Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen, who have attracted interest from some of the best clubs in Europe, are destined to leave in the summer.

“I am very good at making contracts, so when they come to me, they are blocked, so keeping them here won’t be difficult,” the Napoli president responded. 

“However, never say never. Sometimes there are offers you can’t refuse, so you never know. To me, we’ll see them shine for a long time.”

Napoli are resilient in their attempt to keep both players beyond next summer, with the club already planning a new contract for Kvaratshkelia to ward off interest from the Premier League.

Osimhen is also no stranger to interest from the English league, with Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Manchester United all keen on the Nigerian striker.