Osimhen's agent threatens Napoli with legal action over TikTok post
Victor Osimhen's agent has threatened legal action against Napoli after a video was published on the club's official social media mocking the Nigeria striker for missing a penalty in the weekend's goalless draw at Bologna.
The TikTok post, which was subsequently deleted, showed Osimhen failing to score his spot-kick in the Serie A match with a high-pitched voice saying "gimme penalty please", sparking a furious reaction from Roberto Calenda.
"What happened today on Napoli's official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted," Calenda said on Twitter, now called X, late on Tuesday evening.
"(It is) A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.
"We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor."
Amid that backdrop, Osimhen scored his fourth goal of the season in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Udinese.
The 24-year-old has become an icon in Naples after scoring 31 times in all competitions last season as Napoli won their first league title since 1990.
Osimhen, who was a target for Chelsea and Manchester United in the summer, is in the process of negotiating a contract extension with Napoli, with his current deal expiring in June 2025.
He was signed by Napoli from Lille for an initial 70 million euros just over three years ago, a transfer which is being investigated by Italian authorities.
On Tuesday Italian media reported that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is among those being investigated by prosecutors in Rome for allegedly falsely inflating the value of the transfer with four players sold to Lille as part of the deal.
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