Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists there are “many choices” nonetheless open for Victor Osimhen, who has been exiled from their squad for the Serie A season after failing to clinch a switch.
Osimhen was linked with a transfer to Premier League giants Chelsea or Saudi Professional League facet Al-Ahli within the latest switch window, but a swap didn’t materialise.
Chelsea had been reportedly unwilling to fulfill his wage calls for, whereas Al-Ahli signed Brentford’s Ivan Toney after Osimhen refused to maneuver to Saudi Arabia.
Osimhen, who scored 26 objectives in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning marketing campaign of 2022-23, has now been omitted of Antonio Conte’s Serie A squad, with Romelu Lukaku introduced in as his alternative and taking the Nigerian’s quantity 9 shirt.
The striker now faces the prospect of sitting out 4 months till the January switch window opens, until Napoli can discover a approach to transfer him on.
“The scenario may be very clear. Victor expressed his absolute need to not keep at, or play for, Napoli,” Manna instructed DAZN on Saturday.
“We tried to make him completely satisfied. Then there was a requirement and a suggestion, and we thought we had concluded negotiations, however then it didn’t undergo.
“He expressed his need to not play for Napoli and so we made different decisions.
“The switch market remains to be open in some nations, so there are numerous choices, however I don’t assume Victor will go to Saudi Arabia.”
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Napoli picked up their second win of the Serie A season on Saturday, with stoppage-time objectives from Lukaku and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa firing them to a 2-1 comeback victory over Parma.
After that sport, Conte confirmed Osimhen was not a part of his plans, saying: “No participant shall be reintegrated.
“Those that are out of the mission will stay out of the mission. We made our decisions and work in a single course all collectively.”