Napoli have officially removed Victor Osimhen from their Serie A squad list, and have also handed his squad number over to new signing Romelu Lukaku, who will wear the no.9 shirt for the 2024-25 season.
The Nigerian’s removal from the squad comes after a spectacularly chaotic transfer deadline day, which saw him fail to agree a move to either Chelsea or Al-ahli of the Saudi Pro League.
Osimhen remains contracted to Napoli until the summer of 2026, and is on a contract that costs around €10m per season in wages.
He had been hoping to secure a move to Al-Ahli on a whopping four-year contract worth a reported €40m per season in wages, but the move fell through when Napoli asked for more on the transfer fee. Al-Ahli eventually decided to sign England international Ivan Toney from Brentford instead.
Napoli will be in league action on Saturday evening, hosting Parma at the Stadio Maradona.
New striker Lukaku is expected to start up front, while Billy Gilmour, who arrived from Brighton on deadline day, could also be named on the bench. Scott McTominay will not be there, but could make his debut against Cagliari after the international break.
Mario Rui has also been taken off Napoli’s squad list to make way for new signings, but Michael Folorunsho keeps his place.
