Italian side Napoli have excluded Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from their squad list for the season.

Reports filed by Fabrizio Romano suggest that the club has stripped him of his shirt number and handed it to a new signing, Romelu Lukaku.

"Victor Osimhen has been excluded from Napoli’s Serie A squad list… and also number 9 will NO longer be on his shirt.

"Napoli have decided to give number 9 to Romelu Lukaku with immediate effect," he wrote on Twitter.

Napoli and Osimhen's broken relationship is a result of the player’s failure to accept a move away from the club.

Osimhen, 25, was close to leaving Napoli on the transfer deadline day after the Serie A side reached an agreement with Saudi side Al Ahli, but the player could not agree on personal terms as the move hit a snag.

Chelsea was said to have submitted a loan with an option to buy bid to Napoli, but the deal collapsed as the player refused to lower his salary.

Chelsea submitted a €4 million per season guaranteed and an additional €4 million in bonuses, according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio. It appears that the guaranteed salary is less than half of his current salary at Napoli.


EE/OGB