Napoli are being investigated for potential false accounting in the transfer deal which brought Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen to the Serie A club, prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday.
Prosecutors in Naples said in a statement that Italian finance police searched Napoli’s Castel Volturno and Rome offices to collect documents regarding Osimhen’s 70 million euros ($73.9 million) move from Lille in 2020.
According to French media outlet, L’Equipe, it was revealed that Lille got just €36m, not €81m, as widely reported.
It was the most expensive deal in Lille’s history, making Osimhen the most expensive African footballer ever, taking over from Nicolas Pepe, who left for Arsenal the previous season.
The deal has long been the subject of controversy, as the official €70m transfer plus €10m in bonuses fee was only circa €50m in cash.
The other €20m was made up of goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and three youth team players Luigi Liguori, Claudio Manzi and Ciro Palmieri.
Details have emerged that Osimhen’s former club has only received €36m from his transfer.
It was gathered that the Ligue 1 club was in a very poor financial state at the time and the transfer of the Super Eagles forward was used to balance the books by the club.
The deal has long been a cause of controversy, as the official €70m transfer plus €10m in bonuses was only circa €50m in cash, the other €20m made up of goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and three youth team players Luigi Liguori, Claudio Manzi and Ciro Palmieri.
