Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has confirmed that Victor Osimhen is not being featured under Antonio Conte due to his desire to leave the club, with the coaching staff aiming to protect ‘the integrity of the group.
Osimhen was once again absent for Napoli’s Coppa Italia first-round match against Modena at the Stadio Maradona on Saturday night.
The Nigerian has not featured in any of Napoli’s pre-season fixtures this summer. His last appearance in an Azzurri shirt came off the bench in a 0-0 draw against Lecce on the final day of the 2023-24 Serie A season.
Though countless reports suggest Napoli are targeting a move for former Inter and Roma striker Romelu Lukaku as a replacement, Manna suggests that the Partenopei already have players ready to step in amongst the current squad.
“Victor is a player who wants to leave, and last year there was already a situation in place. We are calm because we have players in the squad ready to replace him,” Manna told SportMediaset on Saturday evening, reported via Gianluca Di Marzio.
Napoli have not yet found a suitor for Osimhen, but Manna suggested that anything can happen in the coming weeks.
“Osimhen is a strong player, but we want to protect the integrity of the group and we prefer to protect the harmony of the group. But we will see what happens over the next 20 days.”
Napoli know they must push through a deal with Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku next week, noted transfer expert Matteo Moretto, but there is still no progress for Osimhen’s situation.
Paris Saint-Germain have come closest so far, while Arsenal and Chelsea do not seem particularly enthusiastic about the Nigeria international.
As that drags on and he is left out of all pre-season matches, including the Coppa Italia against Modena, the focus turns to bringing in Lukaku even before Osimhen’s future has been resolved.