Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has explained why Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not both end up at Paris Saint-Germain, despite a huge offer from the French champions.
Osimhen arrived from Lille in 2020 and Kvaratskhelia joined from Dinamo Batumi two years later.
Together they spearheaded Napoli’s attack in the 2022/23 season, firing the club to its first Scudetto in more than three decades.
That campaign saw Osimhen score 26 league goals and provide four assists to win the Capocannoniere, while Kvaratskhelia registered 14 goals and 14 assists to claim Serie A’s MVP award.
Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia. Photo Credit: AFP
However, the following season proved difficult. Both players, courted by Europe’s biggest clubs, made it clear they wanted to move on. Napoli slumped to 10th place in Serie A, and a turbulent summer followed with Antonio Conte taking over as manager.
De Laurentiis has now revealed that Paris Saint-Germain submitted a huge bid for both forwards.
“At the end of the second contractual year, there was the European Championship in Germany. I flew to Düsseldorf with Manna and Chiavelli to resolve the situation, but Mamuka kept stalling, claiming that Giuntoli had promised money that was never paid.
It was a lie, easy to disprove. I could have sold him at that moment. PSG had offered over €200m for the Kvara and Osimhen package,” De Laurentiis told 7 Corriere della Sera via Di Marzio.
Napoli Owner De Laurentiis. Photo Credit: Serie A
The Napoli president admitted he rejected the offer after giving his word to Conte.
“However, I had promised Conte I would keep him, and I didn’t feel like going back on my word. With those funds, the idea was to buy Gyökeres,” he said.
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The club eventually bought Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan before the start of the 2024/2025 campaign.
Osimehn and Kvaratskhelia’s exit
While Osimhen was eventually loaned to Galatasaray after a long summer saga that dragged on, Kvaratskhelia forced through his departure.
“I had to let him [Kvara] go because his agent was threatening to use Article 17,” De Laurentiis explained.
Both Osimehn and Kvaratskhelia tormented Italian oppositions during their time in the Seria A. Photo Credit: Getty Images
“After the Georgian’s extraordinary first season, we immediately moved to negotiate a contract extension, increasing his salary and offering him a significant sum.
However, his agent, Mamuka Jugeli, had other plans for himself and the player.”
The Georgian remained at Napoli up untill January 2025 before sealing a €70m winter move to PSG.
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Osimhen enjoyed success in Turkey, winning the Süper Lig and Turkish Cup double with Galatasaray and finishing as top scorer, before sealing a permanent transfer this summer.
Kvaratskhelia went on to win a treble with PSG in his first season in France.
