Napoli's difficult title defense took another turn for the worse on Wednesday when star striker Victor Osimhen took to social media to berate his teammate Kvicha Kvaratskhelia's agent.
Osimhen's comments came after Mamuka Jugeli, the agent in question, told a media outlet in Georgia that the Nigerian international will likely move to Saudi Arabia “next summer” despite recently signing a contract extension. , while his client would never move to the Gulf. the lucrative state league for the sole purpose of making more money.
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“Kvicha would not accept a similar transfer, even for a billion,” Jugeli said.
“For example, I would prefer to play for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or perhaps Manchester City. Kvaratskhelia has other goals and preferences.”
“Dear Mamuka Jugeli, you are a piece of filth and a disgrace,” Osimhen wrote in an Instagram story in response.
“I'm embarrassed by your sense of reasoning. You fool—! KEEP MY NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!”
Osimhen is with the Nigerian team as they prepare to open their AFCON campaign against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday. He had previously said that he would prefer to play in Major League Soccer over the Saudi Pro League if he was offered “the same conditions”, although he described the development of the SPL as “somewhat surprising”.
Osimhen, recently crowned African Player of the Year for his 26 goals in the team's title-winning 2022-23 campaign, signed a contract extension with Napoli in December that runs until 2026.
This season, the 25-year-old has scored seven goals in 13 Serie A games. Kvaratskhelia has five goals in 18 league games this season, as the reigning champions have struggled to replicate his success, with Walter Mazzarri replacing Rudi García as coach in November.
Napoli are ninth in Serie A after losing four of their last six league games, and will face bottom team Salernitana on Saturday.
