In the land of transfers, player swaps are rare. Unlike in sports where trading players under contract within a league is the norm, if football the numerous independent leagues and federations along with a system that involves negotiating new deals for signed players and always gives them final say in accepting the move makes them difficult.
They aren’t unheard of, but outside of cases where it’s in the interest of both clubs to inflate the book price of the players—essentially each over-charging the other by a couple or tens of millions because for one reason or another it looks better on their books that way—player swaps tend simply not to happen often for a slew of boring structural reasons.
With that out of the way, can we interest you in a blockbuster player swap that would see Liverpool receive striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli while the Serie A side get themselves a pair of Reds they’ve been linked to of late in striker Darwin Nuñez and winger Federico Chiesa? Because that’s a player swap that’s currently getting talked up.
Osimhen is one of the game’s best strikers based on performance and production, but he has had a rocky relationship with Napoli leading the 26-year-old to spend last season on loan at Galatasaray. This summer he has been heavily courted by the Saudi Pro League—and Napoli would love that payday—but rejected multiple approaches.
The Nigerian striker is believed to strongly favour staying in Europe. He also has a rumoured €75M release clause shortlist that allows a handful of Europe’s top clubs to trigger it, with Liverpool on that list. Meanwhile, there have been growing rumours not just of Napoli interest in Nuñez and Chiesa, but suggestions the players want to join Napoli.
Player swaps never happen. But Napoli have a player who—if the Reds’ recruitment team believe the broken relationship between Osimhen and Napoli are the fault of the club—they want to sell who would be eager to join and fills a clear need. And Liverpool have two players who might well be eager to join Napoli. So. Well. You never do know.