4 Nigerians to Watch Out for in 2024/25 Serie A With Osimhen Seeking Move Away

4 Nigerians to Watch Out for in 2024/25 Serie A With Osimhen Seeking Move Away

  • Napoli star Victor Osimhen is still expected to leave Italy this summer amid interest from Chelsea
  • The Premier League club are exploring several options to sign the African Footballer of the Year
  • There are other Nigerians to watch out for in Serie A next season, including Samuel Chukwueze

Victor Osimhen is Nigeria's poster boy in the Italian Serie A, but the striker is expected to leave Napoli before the 2024 summer transfer window closes.

His €113 million release clause and €12mil wage demands are holding the deal back, but Premier League side Chelsea are exploring various options, including players plus cash and a loan with a buy option.

Samuel Chukwueze and Ademola Lookman during a Serie A match.
Samuel Chukwueze and Ademola Lookman in action for AC Milan and Atalanta last season. Photo by Emilio Andreoli.
Source: Getty Images

Osimhen's departure reduces the number of Nigerian footballers in the league, but who are the five to look out for in the 2024/25 season?

Nigerian players in Serie A

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Chelsea receive clear Victor Osimhen stance 2 weeks before close of summer transfer window

1. Samuel Chukwueze

Chukwueze had an underwhelming first season at AC Milan. After an impressive pre-season campaign, he is pumped for the new season under new manager Paulo Fonseca. His attacking combination with Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic looks to propel Milan to the summit of Italian football again.

2. Ademola Lookman

Lookman is one of the most in-form Super Eagles players at the moment. He carried his AFCON form to Atalanta and helped the team win the Europa League last season, scoring a hat-trick and becoming the third Nigerian to score in the final, as noted by UEFA.com. Gian Pero Gasperini will count on him to compete in the Champions League.

3. Maduka Okoye

Okoye joined Udinese last summer but waited until the second half of the season before becoming the club's number-one goalkeeper. He was pivotal in helping the team avoid relegation. He is braced for a big year in the 2024/24 season.

Read also

Odion Ighalo sends message to Victor Osimhen amid Napoli exit saga

4. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

The German-born Super Eagles midfielder moved to the Italian capital this summer on an initial loan with the option to make the deal permanent and was handed the number 7 jersey. As noted by Score Nigeria, he was racially abused on Instagram after the move. He scored on his international debut against South Africa.

Chukwueze wants Osimhen in Milan

Legit.ng reported that Samuel Chukwueze wants Osimhen to seal a move to AC Milan as the Napoli forward's future gets complicated amid his departure plans.

Chukwueze, who has been international teammates with Osimhen since their U17 days in 2015, publicly expressed the desire to be clubmates with the striker.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com