The president of Italian Serie A side Napoli has explained his regret after rejecting a combine bid of €200m from PSG for the duo of Victor Osimhen and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia while they were at the club.
Both players were key to Napoli ending their 33 year wait for their first Serie A title, and as expected were targets of other European giants after the feat.
De Laurentiis revealed that a bid of €200m was offered to him by French Ligue 1 side PSG for both players, but he declined despite head coach Antonio Conte telling him to let go of Osimhen and keep Kvaratskhelia.
“When we started with Conte, we received a €200 million offer from PSG and others to sell Victor Osimhen and Kvara together. Conte said: ‘You can sell Osimhen, but please don’t sell Kvara.’ But it turned out to be a big mistake, because I then had problems with Kvara’s father and his agent.
“Any player under 28, after three years of contract, can leave for almost nothing. Since the player and his agent were absolutely determined to leave Napoli, I decided it was better to sell him. The coach wasn’t happy, because you’re basically telling him it has to be done for legal reasons. I’m trying to change these rules. Because if you make investments, you can’t be blackmailed by anyone”, he revealed in an interview with TheAthletic.
Kvaratskhelia ended up joining PSG one year later for way less than the €100m, the same as Osimhen who left way less than the money PSG offered for Galatasaray.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
