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Victor Osimhen's relationship with Napoli is broken, but there is still a glimmer of hope under new manager Antonio Conte.
Despite a tumultuous few weeks, there may still be hope for Nigeria and Super Eagles superstar striker Victor Osimhen's future at Napoli.
After making it clear he wants to leave the club, Osimhen has not played a single match under new coach Antonio Conte, not pre-season, not official matches in the Coppa Italia or Serie A this season.
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17:25 - 01.09.2024
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The Nigerian trained separately from his teammates amid speculation about his potential departure to several clubs all summer, including Chelsea and Al Ahli, the Saudi Arabian giants.
But the situation took a dramatic turn last week when Osimhen's name was absent from Napoli's provisional 25-man squad list submitted to Serie A.
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Initial reports suggested Romelu Lukaku, who reunited with Conte as a replacement for Osimhen, had even been assigned the Nigerian’siconic number 9 shirt, signalling the end of his time at the club.
However, a closer look revealed a potential glimmer of hope. It was clarified later that Lukaku had actually been given the number 11 jersey, leaving the number 9 still available. This small detail could be the key to Osimhen's potential redemption, according to an Italian outifit.
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Also, Napoli boss Conte came out to shut down any chance of Osimhen playing for the club again this season when he stated that no player would be reintegrated into the squad for the new season.
But while Osimhen has indeed been shut out of the team, the report notes that Napoli can still make two changes to their squad list until the end of the season, leaving the door open for a potential reinstatement.
"It is a super centre forward that we are talking about, as well as the highest paid player in the club and on the Serie A podium with 11 million salary per season until 2026," the report states.
"It is reasonable to think that in the coming days at least a confrontation, an interview, a coffee will be staged first of all with Antonio Conte, so far only a spectator of history; And of course, with the club."
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There have been continued talks about Osimhen still leaving for Saudi Arabia, who still have days left in their transfer window, but that option now seems like a mere illusion.
Even Napoli sporting director Cristiano Manna acknowledged the strained relationship, stating, "Victor absolutely does not want to stay at Napoli or play. We tried to go along with him and we thought we had closed a negotiation, but it didn't go well. He wants to leave and we have made other choices."
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However, the report suggests that in the coming weeks, a face-to-face meeting between Osimhen, Conte, and the club leadership could be the key to mending the fractured relationship and potentially paving the way for the striker's return to the squad.
Nevertheless, before any possible reconciliation between Osimhen and the club, the African Player of the Year will return to the Super Eagles ahead of the important AFCON 2025 clashes against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
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