Osimhen, 17, was the leading goalscorer at the recently-concluded Fifa U17 World Cup in Chile, which Nigeria won, ending the tournament with a record 10 goals. Since he picked up the golden boot, numerous clubs have been after his services, including several English Premiership teams said to include Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Uefa Champions League reigning champions Barcelona are also reported to have tabled a €1m signing on fee to secure Osimhen's services and bring him to the Nou Camp. However, German side Wolfsburg are thought to be the frontrunners to sign the gangling striker as they offered a formal contract to him.
However, NFF president Amaju Pinnick has asked that the transfer be delayed as the federation will adopt stringent measure to ensure no member of the victorious U-17 World Cup squad is exploited by clubs or agents. He added that the federation will enact new guidelines which will declare the players as national assets, will come under the purview of the NFF.
Mr Pinnick added: “I got a call from Wolfsburg who had a lucrative offer for Osimhen and I asked what their plan was for the player. There must be a plan which they’ll have to defend.
"We won’t stop anybody from travelling but we’ll be religious about monitoring because we believe the federation should have a major role to play. We are going to tell the agent to stay off because no international transfer certificate will be issued to any player until we know exactly where they are going and the plans they have."
According to Mr Pinnick, the NFF come up with legislation within a week or two that will make the players national assets. He added that what Wolfsburg is offering is huge and very tempting but the federation will turn them down if their plans do not suit their plans to see the player emerge as a top talent.
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