AFP
Victor Osimhen has been sidelined by Napoli after the team he fired to Serie A glory just over a year ago left him both off their squad list for the 2024/25 campaign and potentially in season-long limbo.
Nigeria forward Osimhen became a hero in Naples when he rattled in 26 league goals as Napoli roared to their first Scudetto since 1990.
Osimhen was one of the most sought-after strikers in the world last summer after emulating Diego Maradona but the 25-year-old is now an outcast in southern Italy, his place and shirt number nine taken by new arrival Romelu Lukaku.
Osimhen has been agitating for a move away from Napoli after the club descended into chaos almost immediately after claiming their third league crown.
The departure of title-winning coach Luciano Spalletti and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli — the man who built some of Napoli’s best teams of the post-Maradona era — had a huge impact.
Napoli went through three managers last season and finished 10th in Serie A but Osimhen still managed to score 17 times in 32 appearances in all competitions.
Napoli looked set to cash in this summer after inserting a 130 million euro ($144.3 million) release clause when renewing Osimhen’s contract in December.
That deal, which gave Osimhen a whopping reported net salary of 11 million euros, expires at the end of June 2026.
But neither Chelsea nor Paris Saint-Germain nor Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Alhi, has come close to both meeting Napoli’s valuation and satisfying Osimhen’s wage requirements.
Osimhen could yet find a way out of Napoli as the transfer window in Saudi Arabia closes on Monday but according to Italian media Al-Alhi only offered 70 million euros for the player.
After failing to agree a deal with Napoli, Al-Alhi signed England centre-forward Ivan Toney from Brentford for a significantly lower fee than the one asked for Osimhen.
Meanwhile, Napoli have been building a new team for new coach Antonio Conte, bringing in seven players to revamp a stale squad, including finally getting Lukaku out of Chelsea.
Napoli have also brought in David Neres, Alessandro Buongiorno, Rafa Marin, Leonardo Spinazzola, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour.
Conte said in July that Osimhen was acting “professionally” despite the rumours suggesting he was set to leave the team which he helped take to the summit of Italian football.
But the striker faces the previously unthinkable prospect of training away from his teammates and playing no club football until at least January, while Napoli try to bounce back from a dreadful last campaign.
Napoli host Parma on Saturday at the Stadio Maradona and Lukaku is set to play at least a small part as their new star striker while Osimhen remains in his gilded cage.