Victor Osimhen was not included in Napoli’s official 23-man Serie A squad for this season, after the Nigerian striker’s expected move away from the club failed to materialise.
Osimhen’s 26 goals helped Napoli to their Scudetto win two seasons ago, but it has all turned sour since, and although the want-away player is still at the club, for now he plays no part in their plans.
Osimhen, 25, signed a contract extension with Napoli in December, keeping him at the club until 2026 and with a reported release clause of 130 million.
A month later, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said Osimhen would leave at the end of the season, and in recent days his expected destination appeared to be Chelsea or Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli.
Negotiations went on until the transfer window closed in both Italy and England on Friday, but with Osimhen’s wage demands apparently not met by Chelsea, it appeared he was on his way to Saudi Arabia.
Napoli, however, did not accept the offer from Al Ahli, who then signed Ivan Toney from Brentford for a fee ESPN reported to be £40 million, and signed Belgian Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.