Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was one of the few in Europe willing to reject a lucrative Saudi offer this summer and he sent a mocking response to Al-Hilal’s proposal for Victor Osimhen.
A long list of clubs across Europe accepted rich proposals from various Saudi Arabian clubs this summer, cashing in on their stars like Gabri Veiga and Riyadh Mahrez as well as offloading their unwanted players like Edouard Mendy and Franck Kessie.
A handful of top stars rejected Saudi offers this summer including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, making Victor Osimhen the dream transfer of many Saudi Pro League clubs. Al-Hilal sent Napoli a €200m offer but it was rejected, keeping the striker in Campania.
L’Equipe via TMW details how De Laurentiis never considered accepting Al-Hilal’s lucrative offer for Osimhen, a position he made clear in his response.
The Napoli president sent an email to Al-Hilal representatives with a mocking reply, writing: “Your €200m offer can buy a single foot of Osimhen. For next year, I think you’ll be able to offer €500m and we’ll probably consider your offer, but I’ll repeat myself: maybe.”