As Osimhen scores to sink Juventus, Napoli clauses complicate Serie A return

Victor Osimhen marked his return to Turin with a goal as Galatasaray eliminated Juventus from the Champions League, but the romantic notion of the Nigerian striker one day pulling on a Juventus shirt is considerably more complicated than the warm words exchanged before the match might suggest.

When Napoli sold Osimhen to Galatasaray in the summer of 2025 for €75 million, they inserted a contractual clause specifically designed to block his return to Italian football, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Napoli clause hinders Juventus’ Osimhen dream

The clause runs for 24 months, meaning Osimhen could not move to a Serie A club until 1 September 2027 at the earliest, and carries a penalty fee of €70 million in the first year, reducing to €50 million in the second.

Any Italian club wishing to sign him would either need to trigger that penalty themselves or negotiate directly with Napoli to waive it, while Galatasaray would separately need to recoup their own investment.

De Laurentiis’ club also retain a ten percent sell-on fee, further complicating any potential deal.

Even setting aside the clause, the financial reality is daunting.

Osimhen earns a base salary of €15 million net per year, rising to as much as €21 million with bonuses, a figure no current Serie A club comes close to matching, and one that can no longer be offset by Italy’s Decreto Crescita tax incentive.

The irony is that Osimhen himself did little to dampen Juventus supporters’ hopes. He had previously admitted a move to the club “would be a privilege,” spoke glowingly of Spalletti, and notably declined to celebrate his goal at the Allianz Stadium out of respect for his former manager.