Victor Osimhen: Wantaway Super Eagles star joins Napoli pre-season amid lack of suitors

With his future yet to be resolved, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen resumes pre-season at Napoli.

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has returned for Napoli's preseason, despite actively working on an exit from the club, for what he hopes will be his Premier League dreams. 

Osimhen set for Napoli exit 

The 25-year-old publicly expressed his desire to play in England, and after delivering a historic Scudetto title for the Partenopei, he was handed a new contract with a salary bump and a €130 million release clause 

The Nigeria international was hot stuff while this contract was handed out by Napoli, and at the time, the quoted fee seemed reasonable for a talent like Osimhen’s in a highly inflated football transfer world.

However, circumstances changed within a season. The Lagos-born forward could not match his mountain-peak height from the season before, owing to injuries and the instability at Napoli. 

This, coupled with the mammoth fee Napoli demands, has forced the club to reevaluate their desire for the Nigerian; hence, he is running out of viable destinations in Europe. 

However, the Saudi option remains open for the Nigerian, as clubs from the Gulf are willing and able to match the release clause on his contract. 

Osimhen returns to training 

The 2024/25 season starts next month, which means it is preseason time. Players typically come in for preseason medicals before training camps and then club friendlies, which are increasingly associated with touring, given the huge marketing potential. 

Osimhen has gone in for that first stage, with pictures showing him in Napoli training gear, undergoing medicals. It remains to be seen if he will advance through preseason with them, given his desire to leave.

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