Napoli and Lille are under renewed scrutiny as prosecutors in Rome continue investigations into alleged false accounting in the €70m transfer of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen in 2020.
According to La Repubblica, as cited by Football Italia, prosecutors Lorenzo Del Giudice and Giorgio Ornano have requested that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and CEO Andrea Chiavelli stand trial over suspected financial irregularities surrounding Osimhen’s move from Lille to Naples.
The inquiry, reopened by the Rome Tribunal for false accounting, focuses on claims that both clubs inflated the value of lesser-known players in order to balance their books and comply with financial regulations.
La Repubblica reports that documents, emails and WhatsApp exchanges recovered during the investigation appear to show that senior officials at both clubs were aware of the potential risks linked to the structure of the deal.
At the time, La Repubblica stated that Napoli initially valued Osimhen at €50m, before the final agreement rose to €70m, including €20m in additional player exchanges. Those extra fees were attributed to four players, goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and three youth players, Luigi Liguori, Claudio Manzi and Ciro Palmieri, valued respectively at €4m, €4m and €7m.
“In the summer of 2020, Lille proposed that they would sell Osimhen to Napoli for effectively €50m, but adding a further €20m in artificially inflated transfer fees for extra players.
“These turned out to be Orestis Karnezis plus three youth team players (Luigi Liguori and Claudio Manzi valued at €4m each, and Ciro Palmieri at €7m),” La Repubblica reported via Football Italia.
However, as Football Italia also observed, none of the three youth players ever appeared for Lille. They were immediately loaned out to lower-division sides before being released, prompting questions about their valuations.
Internal club communications cited by La Repubblica reveal that Napoli’s sporting hierarchy expressed doubts about the deal’s legitimacy. In one exchange dated July 17, 2020, general manager Andrea Chiavelli reportedly wrote to then-sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, “He told me to send it, but hopefully they won’t accept, otherwise we’ll have to resort to robbery.”
La Repubblica, via Football Italia, noted that this message, reportedly accompanied by emojis, referred to an early version of the proposal that was later revised several times.
Further exchanges between Giuntoli and his assistant Giuseppe Pompilio reportedly showed the growing discomfort among staff about leaving a written trail.
“You mustn’t write anything. Don’t leave any traces in the emails. You can say what you like in person,” Pompilio cautioned, according to La Repubblica. Neither official is currently under investigation.
The Italian newspaper also reported that Lille’s executives were equally conscious of the potential dangers. In an internal email, general manager Julien Mordacq allegedly warned then-CEO Marc Ingla, “It is my duty to warn you regarding the risks associated with this deal. Every detail considered ‘strange’ could generate questions on the overall agreements and we’d need to provide real responses and justification.”
Further emails published by La Repubblica purportedly showed former Lille president Gérard Lopez discussing the need to manipulate valuations to complete the transaction.
“This will allow you to pay an inferior price than any other club, but with the necessary nominal value to close the deal,” Lopez reportedly wrote, a statement prosecutors have described as a key indication of deliberate misrepresentation.
At one point, La Repubblica reported that Lille suggested including goalkeeper Karnezis in the exchange at a valuation of €35m, a figure later reduced during negotiations. Lopez also urged discretion, writing, “On this point, it is of extreme importance that there be no communication about the deal or the price. It would defeat the purpose of the agreement and make us all look bad.”
Despite the serious nature of these findings, Football Italia emphasised that Napoli do not face sporting sanctions. The Italian Football Federation’s prosecutor, Giuseppe Chiné, had earlier cleared the club of wrongdoing in a separate sporting investigation. However, the criminal case remains ongoing, as the Rome Tribunal continues to assess whether sufficient grounds exist for a trial for false accounting.
“Rome Prosecutors Lorenzo Del Giudice and Giorgio Ornano have already requested that Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis and CEO Andrea Chiavelli stand trial for alleged false accounting in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“Osimhen’s transfer from Napoli to Lille has been investigated by Italian authorities, but Napoli do not risk a point deduction in sporting terms as FIGC Prosecutor Giuseppe Chiné has already cleared the Partenopei,” Football Italia reported.
The 2020 transfer was one of the most expensive involving an African player and played a major role in estabilising Lille’s finances. Osimhen went ahead to establish himself as the continent’s best player, playing a decisive role in Napoli’s 2022–23 Serie A title triumph before sealing a move to Galatasary in 2024.
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