Victor Osimhen's transfer to Napoli, sealed in 2020, is back in the headlines. Now, with declarations from the current president of Lille, Olivier Letang, the matter has resurfaced like a bomb, threatening to start new investigations in European soccer. According to the executive, the sale of the Nigerian forward yielded a net profit of only €7 million for the French club, way below the €70 million reported at the time.
Follow Playing for 90 on X (Twitter).
But how could such a high value be diluted so much? Commissions, intermediaries, and four "counterweight" players who, in practice, were worth nothing are at the center of a transaction that makes no economic sense. It was truly an entanglement of numbers, figures, and decisions that now reverberates as a symbol of the shady dealings that plague modern soccer from time to time.
From 70 to 7
It was 2020. Napoli proudly announced Victor Osimhen as one of the most expensive transfers in their history: €70 million. A monumental figure, justified by the Nigerian forward's explosive performance at Lille. At that point, everything seemed normal — a robust operation, but one aligned with the market trends of the time.
However, as Olivier Letang explained on the L'Équipe du Soir program, only €7 million of that sum really represented net profit for Lille. Why was that? The explanation, as expressed by the president, rests in a disturbing combination of commissions, intermediaries, and the so-called "fictitious capital gains.
Its value had been "amortized" by adding four players to the deal: Ciro Palmieri, Claudio Manzi, Orestis Karnezis, and Luigi Liguori. All of these, except for Greek goalkeeper Karnezis, represented names completely unknown, with no real relevance in professional soccer then. But all together they were valued at €20 million, an inflated sum serving to mask the deal's actual cost.
And it doesn't stop there. Olivier Letang made a point of comparing this sale to others conducted under his leadership, such as those of Carlos Baleba (€30 million to Brighton) and Amadou Onana (€40 million to Everton). According to him, the transparency of those negotiations contrasts directly with the Osimhen case, where commissions and intermediaries artificially inflated the numbers.
Investigations and accusations
The case involving Osimhen is nothing new to the courtrooms. This year in January, an investigation into fictitious capital gains was closed by accusing Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis of false accounting. Fictitious capital gains are a form of accounting trick where assets are overvalued — players in this case — out of proportion.
In practice, this means the four players involved in the deal were used as “trade tokens” to reduce the financial impact of the operation in Napoli’s accounting books. A tactic that, although common in high-level negotiations, raises important ethical and legal questions.
Olivier Letang's declarations reignited the debate. After all, the net profit of just €7 million for Lille highlights even more fragility in this transaction. Could this open the door to new investigations? It seems likely.
Osimhen in the eye of the storm
And what about Victor Osimhen? The forward, currently lent to Galatasaray, appeared as if he were the only character "detached" from chaos. The Nigerian player has maintained shining spells in recent years on the field to turn himself into one of the most highly rated forwards in Serie A. Despite all that, nothing detaches the weight of such negotiations that this implies to his trajectory.
Osimmhen somehow became the involuntary symbol of a badly told transaction. His good season with Napoli somehow gave a reason to the investment, while off the pitch, the controversies are still there.