According to Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport, Napoli has stripped Victor Osimhen of the number 9 jersey and have handed it to former Chelsea forward, Romelu Lukaku.
The Super Eagles star has been donning the jersey since joining the three-time Italian Serie A champions in 2020, taking it from Fernando Llorente who wore it before his arrival.
Lukaku is the new custodian of the jersey after his arrival from Chelsea this summer, following Osimhen’s fallout with Napoli.
The 25-year-old has failed in his attempt to leave the Gli Azzurri as Chelsea and Al-Ahli failed in their pursuit to secure his services and that has broken down his relationship with the Italian club.
As earlier reported, the Naples-based side has decided to freeze him out of the first team and there is now official confirmation that he has been left out of their Serie A squad list for this season, making the loss of his jersey number unsurprising.
Osimhen will now be left in the cold till the January transfer window unless he can secure a move, which is looking highly difficult at the moment.
The Saudi Pro-League is his only option of leaving Naples at the moment due to his high demands but it remains to be seen whether any of the clubs in the Gulf country will be able to secure his signature before the closure of the transfer window on Monday, September 2.