Napoli said that the future of striker Victor Osimhen will be decided within the next 20 days before the transfer window closes.

 This was revealed by the sporting director, Giovanni Manna. He noted that Osimhen has not been featured under Antonio Conte as he wishes to leave the club and that the coaching staff want to protect the integrity of the group. 

Since taking over at the club, Conte, who wanted a reunion with Romelu Lukaku, has not featured Osimhen. The Nigerian striker was absent again for Napoli’s Coppa Italia first-round fixture against Modena at the Stadio Maradona on Saturday.

 Napoli had to progress to the next round via penalties. Having not featured in any of Napoli’s pre-season fixtures this summer, Osimhen has been training separately from the squad. His last game for the Azzurri was as a substitute in a 0-0 draw against Lecce on the final day of the 2023-24 Serie A season.

Countering reports suggesting that Napoli is targeting a move for Lukaku as a replacement, Manna said that the Partenopei already have players ready to step in among the current squad. 

Manna told SportMediaset on Saturday evening, as reported via Gianluca Di Marzio that there was already an agreement that the former Lille striker will leave this summer as the club continues to wait for the club that will meet their valuation. 

After Paris Saint-Germain seemed to have opted out of the race for his signature due to a large difference in both clubs’ valuations, Napoli has not yet found a suitor for Osimhen, but Manna suggested that anything can happen in the coming weeks. 

Noting that the striker is a strong player, Manna said the aim of the management is to protect the integrity of the team. 

“We prefer to protect the harmony of the group, but we will see what happens over the next 20 days,” he added.