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Napoli seal 'record deal' for Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen

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Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen in action for LilleImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen began his European career in at Wolfsburg

Italian Serie A side Napoli have confirmed the g of young Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen from French club Lille.

Napoli's website gave very few details of the deal simply sayini: "SSC Napoli are delighted to announce the g of Victor Osimhen from Lille on a permanent transfer."

According to French sports newspaper L'Equipe, the deal is worth more than $96m (81.3m euros) making him the most expensive African player of all time.

Napoli have now paid more than English side Arsenal paid Lille for Ivory Coast's Nicolas Pepe a year ago.

Osimhen had ed Lille from Belgium's Charleroi as a replacement for Pepe.

After scoring 18 goals in all competitions for Lille last season, the 21-year-old hade been linked for several weeks with Napoli.

In June he was named as Lille's player of the season in what was his first campaign in , and the Nigerian was also named in Ligue 1's team of the season.

Osimhen burst into the spotlight at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup in Chile, as he clinched the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards while steering the Golden Eaglets to the title.

The then-16-year-old scored a tournament record 10 goals, netting in every one of Nigeria's games, in a performance that helped earn him Africa's Youth Player of the Year award for 2015.

His displays at that World Cup also earned him a move to Wolfsburg but Osimhen, who turned down Arsenal to play in 's Bundesliga, itted to struggling as he slowly adapted to both the league and European football.

After a barren season in which the striker, affected by injury, did not score in 16 games, he moved to Belgium where the goals soon flowed - 19 in his first campaign at Charleroi, where he was originally on loan before making the move permanent.

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