Osimhen vs Lukaku: Napoli Chief Aims Subtle Dig at Galatasaray Striker

• Victor Osimhen left Napoli on acrimonious terms and joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan move
• New Napoli head coach Antonio Conte signed his trusted soldier Romelu Lukaku as his replacement
• The Italian Serie A club's sporting director has analysed the two players and named the better striker

Don't miss out! Join Legit.ng's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!

The imaginary battle line drawn between Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku takes another twist as Napoli's sporting director aims a subtle dig at the Nigerian forward.

Osimhen left Napoli on loan last summer due to inability to secure a permanent move and his broken relationship with the 2022/23 Italian Serie A champions.

He joined Turkish champions Galatasaray on a season-long loan, and Antonio Conte pushed Napoli to sign his trusted striker Romelu Lukaku as his replacement.

Manna aims dig at Osimhen

Osimhen in Istanbul has outperformed Lukaku in Naples, but sporting director Giovanni Manna backs the Belgian after his recent struggles, picking him as the better forward among the duo.

“He is a player who moves in the Italian market. Every week there is controversy, he has scored 4 goals and 4 assists and has a proactive attitude,” he said at the 2024 Social Football Summit, as quoted by Area Napoli.

“Of course, in the minds of the fans, there is Victor Osimhen, who has dominated the championship alone, and they are two different things. Lukaku cannot be discussed, he has scored 300 goals in his career.”

The Nigerian has scored eight goals and provided four assists for the Gala. As noted by Bein Sports, Turkish media reports claim the club is working on signing Osimhen permanently.

The deal will not be easy for the Turkish champions to pull off because of several factors involved, including Napoli's demand for Osimhen's full release clause and the player's salary package.

Galatasaray's Osimhen vs Napoli's Lukaku

Legit.ng compared Galatasaray's Osimhen to Napoli's Lukaku in attacking numbers after the rounds of games before the final international break of the year.

Neapolitans have set monitoring sights on Osimhen with the striker on loan in Turkey and have compared him to his replacement Lukaku under Antonio Conte.