A club is now reportedly preparing to make a massive £173 million (R2.7 billion) offer for Napoli's Victor Osimhen amid the recent controversy surrounding him.
The Nigeria superstar has attracted the attention of Saudi Pro League (SPL) side Al Hilal, with the club willing to spend the money required to get the deal done, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Read: Zidane 'ready' for new job after shock Saudi agreement
The Arabian giants are believed to have already told the player they are happy to offer him more than £34 million (R784 million) a year as they seek to add him to their already star-studded squad.
in the latest transfer window, Hilal spent a staggering £305 million (R7 billion) on high-profile players such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ruben Neves, Malcolm and Neymar.
It is understood that the SPL side made a bid for Osimhen then too, but this was rebuffed by Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis at the time.
However, after the controversy that arose around Osimhen this week, Hilal is believed to see this as the perfect opportunity to capture the Nigerian striker's signature in the January transfer window or at the end of the season, when he will have one year left on his deal in Italy.
Last weekend, the forward missed a penalty against Bologna in a Serie A clash that ended in a goalless draw. He was then taken off later in the game, leading to a public bust-up with manager Rudi Garcia as he walked off the pitch.
Napoli then uploaded a clip to TikTok in which Osimhen was seemingly mocked for the penalty miss, before it was later deleted.
As a result, the player's agent released a statement saying the video caused Osimhen a degree of "suffering", adding that the duo "reserve the right to take legal action" against the club, while the player himself appeared to respond by taking all Napoli-related images on his Instagram account down.
The club has since released a statement in which they stated that the video was never intended to offend or mock their star striker.
Read: BREAKING: Man Utd make new Antony decision
The Nigeria international netted 26 times last season to help Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: