Osimhen: Napoli risk fine, points deduction

If it is discovered that Serie A winners Napoli engaged in dishonest accounting during the signing of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Lille in 2020, they might face fines or losing points.

Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, was questioned on Wednesday as a part of the inquiry into the 25-year-old's transfer.

The transaction, which included the perceived market worth of four players who transferred to Lille as part of the trade, was valued at €76,356,819 when the Partenopei signed the former Wolfsburg midfielder in September 2020.

These players have a market value of around €20 million, broken down as follows: Ciro Palmieri is valued at €7,026,349, Orestis Karnez is valued at €5,128,205, Luigi Liguori is valued at €4,071,247, and Claudio Manzi is valued at €4,021,762. According to investigators, these market prices were inflated to help Napoli’s books.

According to Italian publication, Il Messaggero, if Napoli are not acquitted of the charges, they stand to get a fine or docked points.
A portion of the article stated, "There are three possible paths: a new acquittal, a fine, or a slight penalty in the rankings (league table)".

According to Calciomercato.com, De Laurentiis was questioned for ninety minutes by deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini as part of the inquiry into false accounting on Wednesday after arriving at the FIGC prosecutor's office in Rome with his attorney Fabio Fulgeri.

Liguori, one of the deal's participants, expressed his concerns about the circumstances back in 2021.

"Our futures were not the focus of the arrangement that was made. It was not for that purpose. We were expelled from Napoli while feeling guilty. since we were ignorant," he remarked.

In December, Osimhen agreed to a new deal with Napoli, with his release clause set around €130m. The Nigeria international is expected to depart Naples this summer for a club in the English Premier League or Paris Saint-Germain in France.