Napoli have issued a statement insisting social media videos appearing to mock Victor Osimhen were not intended to offend the striker.
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The bizarre post on the club’s TikTok account showed footage of Osimhen appealing for the penalty in the goalless draw with Bologna on Sunday.
The clip, which has now been deleted, then showed the Nigeria international missing the spot kick.
Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, slammed Napoli’s social media post and has threatened legal action against the Serie A club.
Five days on from the incident, Napoli have now broken their silence in a statement where they describe the 24-year-old as a ‘treasure of the club’ but with no direct apology forthcoming.
Osimhen established himself as one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers last season with Manchester United and Chelsea among those who considered moves only to be priced out by Napoli’s valuation which was reported to be €150million.
In the statement, Napoli confirmed they rejected a number of offers, insisting those decisions demonstrate how much he is valued by the Serie A champions.
‘Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, point out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club,’ the club said.
‘As proof of that, during the summer training retreat, the Club firmly rebuffed every offer that was received for the striker’s transfer abroad.
‘Social media, in particular TikTok, has always used an expressive form of language with a light heart and creativity, without wanting to, as in the case with Osimhen as protagonist, have any intention of insult or derision.
‘In any case, if Victor perceived any offence towards him, this was not what the club intended’.
Following the release of the video, Osimhen removed any traces of Napoli from his social media accounts but was back in the side for Wednesday’s game against Udinese.
The Nigeria international scored his side’s second goal but made no attempt to celebrate. Napoli head coach Rudi Garcia later declared the former Lille star remains ‘100 per cent invested in our project’.
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