Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed why he rejected Paris Saint-Germain’s massive €200 million offer for Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, De Laurentiis expressed regret over turning down the bid, as complications arose around Kvaratskhelia’s contract.
“I had to let him [Kvara] go because his agent threatened to invoke Article 17,” De Laurentiis told Di Marzio. “After his outstanding first season, we moved quickly to negotiate a contract extension with a significant salary increase. But his agent, Mamuka Jugeli, had other plans.”
Tensions escalated ahead of the European Championship in Germany. “At the end of the second year, I traveled to Düsseldorf with Manna and Chiavelli to resolve matters, but Mamuka stalled, falsely claiming that Giuntoli had promised money that was never paid. It was an easy lie to disprove.”
De Laurentiis added, “I could have sold him then—PSG’s offer of over €200 million for both Kvara and Osimhen was on the table. However, I had promised Conte I would keep him, and I didn’t want to go back on my word. The plan was to use those funds to buy Gyökeres,” concluded the 76-year-old.
