Osimhen: Napoli ‘treated me like a dog’, Juventus called, Conte wanted me to stay
Former Napoli star Victor Osimhen says the Partenopei treated him ‘like a dog’ before his move to Galatasaray, but Antonio Conte wanted him to stay, and Juventus tried to sign him through Cristiano Giuntoli.
Osimhen confirms Juventus tried to sign him in 2024 before completing an initial loan deal to Galatasaray, which was made permanent a year later.
“Yes, but I could have been in two other top Serie A clubs today,” Osimhen told Gazzetta.
“[Ex-Juventus director] Giuntoli called me to take me to Juve before negotiations with Galatasaray began. I spoke with a couple of people from the club. They showed interest, but I knew that he [Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis] wouldn’t let me leave. In any case, the interest was definitely there. And when Juventus call, regardless of everything, you sit down and listen.”
When Osimhen left the club in 2024, he was no longer on good terms with De Laurentiis, and it’s no coincidence that the striker never mentioned the Napoli owner in his interview.
Osimhen has made history at Napoli, contributing to winning the Serie A title in 2022-23 under Luciano Spalletti.
That season, Osimhen became the top-Serie A goalscorer, but things started going downhill from the following campaign.
In September 2023, Napoli mocked Osimhen on TikTok after the Nigerian had missed a penalty kick against Bologna.
“I feel sorry for the fans, also because I never spoke about what happened before,” said the striker.
“Some of them even came to my house asking for explaination. I asked them to put themselves in my shoes. After Napoli posted that video on TikTok, something broke.
“Anyone can miss a penalty, and anyone can be mocked for it. Napoli did it only to me, and with certain kinds of insinuations as well. I was the victim of racist insults, and I made my decision. I wanted to leave. I deleted the photos of me wearing the Napoli shirt from my Instagram, and they took the opportunity to turn the fans against me. And to think that, for me, my daughter is more Neapolitan than Nigerian.
“No one ever publicly apologised for what happened. After that famous video, Edoardo De Laurentiis called me several times. That’s it. Meanwhile, rumours were going around that I arrived late at training, and that I argued with teammates. They’re all lies. I’m sorry for the fans, but I understand and admire them: they support the club, no matter what. For them, Napoli comes before everything.”
Osimhen extended his contract with Napoli in December 2023, but already knew he’d not stay at the club long-term.
“We had a gentleman’s agreement according to which I could leave the following summer, but the commitment was not fully respected on the other side,” Osimhen recalled.
“They tried to send me anywhere to play, but they treated me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that. I worked so hard to build my career, and I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet.”
When Conte was appointed in 2024, Osimhen was already on his way out of Napoli, but according to the striker, the coach wanted him to stay.
“Of course, even if some people said he didn’t want me. Are we serious? Which coach at that moment wouldn’t have wanted me? As soon as he arrived, Conte called me into his office and said he was aware of the situation but that, despite everything, he wanted me to stay.
“I said I would have liked to work with him, but then I had made my decision: I didn’t want to keep working in a place where I didn’t feel happy.”
Osimhen is now in his second season at Galatasaray.
“I found a club and a city that I love. Maybe it was a stroke of luck. As soon as you arrive in Istanbul, you understand why anyone who has played here has fallen in love with the team and the people. I had never experienced anything like it,” he concluded.
Tonight, the Turkish giants will meet Spalletti’s Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off.