Lukaku HAUNTED by Osimhen at Napoli

Concerns have been raised over Romelu Lukaku’s form at Napoli, with the striker said to be haunted by the ghost of Victor Osimhen at the Serie A club.

Lukaku joined Napoli from Chelsea in a €30 million deal in the summer, and it might have been that Osimhen moved in the opposite direction.

The Blues, though, would not pay the Nigeria international star’s release clause and he ended up completing a shock move to Galatasaray on loan.

Osimhen’s Napoli love affair

Osimhen had been the darling of Naples before seeking to leave. He had scored 31 goals in the 2022/23 season, in which Napoli lifted the Serie A crown, after which he was subject to a monster transfer bid from PSG that was knocked back.

A more modest 2023/24 campaign saw his value drop, yet he was still one of the most wanted strikers in the world last summer and it came as a huge shock that he was ultimately forced to move to Turkey.

It is a deal that Gazzetta claims is troubling Lukaku, who finds the ‘ghost’ of Osimhen haunting him at Napoli.

Although he has four goals and five assists since his summer move, Lukaku has only one in his last five appearances, which has led to concerns over his form at Napoli.

Gazzetta has pointed out, however, that Osimhen scored just two goals in his first 10 Napoli games.

Romelu Lukaku: Fitness worries echo Chelsea issue

Lukaku’s physical condition is being called into question.

This initially wasn’t a concern at Napoli given that he had been training alone at Chelsea, but with the striker sitting out Belgium’s clash with Israel because of an inflammation that has required an injection, there are now worries.

Indeed, this echoes Lukaku’s start to life at Chelsea during his second stint at Stamford Bridge.

He got off to a flying start, scoring three goals in his first three Premier League matches, including a derby goal against Arsenal and a brace against Aston Villa but thereafter was plagued by a lack of fitness and difficulties in seeing eye-to-eye with Thomas Tuchel.

Lukaku was subsequently sent out on loan to Inter and Roma before completing a permanent move to Napoli in the summer.