Victor Osimhen’s highly anticipated transfer from Napoli to Al Ahli fell through on transfer deadline day. The Nigerian striker will remain at Napoli and faces the possibility of not playing for the next six months.
The former Lille attacker has been left out of Napoli’s matchday squad against Parma this weekend, according to Fabrizio Romano on X.
Why did Victor Osimhen’s move to Al Ahli fail?
Despite interest from top clubs and a lucrative contract offer from Al Ahli, Osimhen remains in Italy and faces an uncertain future at Napoli. The failed move to Saudi Arabia was hindered by three key factors.
Last minute price hike by Napoli
One of the primary reasons for the collapse of Osimhen’s transfer to Al Ahli was Napoli’s sudden increase in their asking price.
Initially valuing Osimhen at €130 million, Napoli lowered their price as they became desperate to sell. Al Ahli initially offered around €80 million, which Napoli reportedly accepted.
However, as negotiations progressed on deadline day, Napoli reportedly attempted to raise the price by an additional €5 million.
Al Ahli were not pleased with Napoli’s last-minute increase in the asking price for Osimhen, leading to the Saudi club withdrawing from the deal, causing the transfer to collapse.
Ivan Toney option
With Victor Osimhen’s transfer proving increasingly difficult, Al Ahli turned to Ivan Toney, quickly agreeing a deal to sign the former Brentford star. Toney underwent a medical in London on deadline day to complete the transfer.
Having an alternative in Toney meant that Al Ahli were not in desperate need to secure Osimhen’s signature. The Saudi club was able to move on from Osimhen due to Toney’s willingness to join.
If Al Ahli had only been interested in Osimhen, they likely would have agreed to Napoli’s additional €5 million fee and waited for the Nigerian striker to make a decision.
However, Toney’s willingness to join was enough to convince Al Ahli, and his signing filled their final foreign player slot for the season, making a move for Osimhen unlikely.
