De Bruyne was substituted just minutes later, and medical staff rushed him to the hospital for further evaluation.

Scans revealed a high-grade tear in his thigh muscle, confirming the extent of the injury. Napoli has not yet provided a timeline for his recovery, but the Belgian international is expected to miss several weeks of action.

Read Also: Kevin De Bruyne joins Napoli from Man City

The reigning Serie A champions returned to the top of the league with the win, but the loss of De Bruyne will be a significant blow to their title defense.

Since joining Napoli on a free transfer from Manchester City in June, De Bruyne has made an immediate impact, scoring four goals in eight league appearances. He has also featured in three Champions League matches for the club.

Napoli supporters will be hoping for a swift recovery, as De Bruyne has proven to be a key figure in their midfield this season.

Source: The Nation

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The Belgian has reportedly signed a two-year deal with an option for a third at Napoli, where he will join up with international teammate Romelu Lukaku and former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.

The 33-year-old left City at the end of this past season after a trophy-laden decade in Manchester, where under Pep Guardiola he won six Premier League titles and in 2023 the Champions League.

He has suffered from a series of physical problems in recent seasons, with two hamstring injuries causing him to miss significant chunks of the last two campaigns.

Napoli have brought in one of Europe’s top midfielders as the Italians try to bolster a squad which next season will defend the Scudetto while also having the extra fixture pressure of the expanded Champions League.

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Portuguese outlet O Jogo  reported that Mourinho desperately wants to add Osimhen to  their ranks, adding that Fenerbahce are ready for such a big move, which they will insist on.

Osimhen’s imperial displays for Galatasaray have left a litany of top clubs on his trail, including Chelsea, while a big-money move to Saudi Arabia in the summer is also weighing strongly in the balance.

Despite joining Galatasaray in September, the 25-year-old has developed a strong bond with the club’s supporters.

Read Also : Osimhen’s wonder strike enters record books after Ronaldo

He recently promised to serve out his loan term after scoring a brace against Besiktas in a  Turkish Super Lig Istanbul derdy, but it will take a strong resolve from the player, his agent, and Napoli  to resist a lucrative offer in January.

Napoli Sporting Director Giovanni Manna had said, “There are many clubs interested in Victor Osimhen.

Fenerbahce believe the addition of Osimhen has given Galatasaray a psychological superiority over their opponents and would knock on Napoli’s door with a higher offer than Galatasaray would make to former Serie A champions.

It was recently reported that Galatasaray were willing to pay €50m for this transfer, an offer Fenerbahce are more than ready to topple to add Osimhen to its squad.

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Throughout the summer transfer window, Chelsea were heavily linked with the 25-year-old who had been made available by his Italian club.

Despite the saga dragging on for weeks, there was an expectation that the Nigeria international would eventually link up with one of the biggest clubs in Europe or the Saudi Pro League.

However, a deal failed to materialise in either situation, Osimhen instead moving to Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal having continued to be frozen out by Napoli.

Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired control of Chelsea in May 2022, a sustained effort has been made to reduce the wage bill.

Progress on that front has been made to the extent where it has been alleged that the West Londoners now shell out an average of £60,000 per week to each player, considerably down to the outgoings during the Roman Abramovich era.

With Osimhen allegedly earning in excess of £200,000 per week at Napoli, a compromise was required if a move to Chelsea was ever going to materialise.

That was ultimately not the case, leaving both parties frustrated at the outcome and now needing to assess whether they will re-open negotiations in the future.

Mikel – a Chelsea legend and Nigerian compatriot of Osimhen – is familiar with the player and has been outspoken in the past about the possibility of a move to the Premier League for the player.

Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel has admitted that Osimhen wanted to receive ‘what he felt he deserved’ at Chelsea, albeit dismissing claims that the striker had priced himself out.

Osimhen could now be in line to make his debut for Galatasaray against Rizespor on Saturday evening as he bids to help the defending champions retain their Super Lig trophy this season.

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The 25-year-old, who has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this summer, has been following an individual training plan at Napoli’s sports centre without participating in any of the club’s pre-season friendlies.

Osimhen, who earns £325,000 per week at Napoli, making him the highest earner in Serie A, signed a new contract with the club in December that includes a €130m release clause, which none of his suitors is willing to trigger.

Paris Saint-Germain, considered the most serious suitors, have not offered more than €100m for the Nigerian international.

Chelsea had considered including him in a deal involving Romelu Lukaku, but the striker has blatantly refused a loan move.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Osimhen is also refusing to take a pay cut to facilitate a move to Chelsea.

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Although new Napoli coach Antonio Conte has admitted that the striker is not in his plans for next season, he could meet Osimhen in Castel Volturno next week ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Osimhen has a €130m clause included in his contract with the Partenopei, which is the initial stumbling block for his suitors, especially in the English Premier League.

As a result, the price tag was lowered to €100m, with Manchester United said to have prepared a cash-plus player swap, which will see Denmark striker Rasmus Højlund join Napoli.

But according to Il Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal prefer Viktor Gyökeres to Osimhen, even if they also consider the Sporting striker’s €100m clause too high. However, Gyökeres has a lower salary than Osimhen, so the Gunners are focused on him currently.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have changed their transfer targets after the appointment of the Italian Enzo Maresca.

Osimhen, who dreams of playing in the Premier League, is also being monitored by PSG as a possible replacement for Kylian Mbappe, who is now a Real Madrid player.

Nevertheless, the Ligue 1 giants seem more interested in Osimhen’s teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and have already held talks with the Georgia international winger’s agent, irritating Napoli.

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Other reports in Italy state that the Serie A side would agree to a player-swap deal with Manchester United, which will see Mason Greenwood join the former Serie A champions, with Osimhen heading in the opposite direction.

Manchester United are keen to sell Greenwood in the summer, even though the rape charges against him were dropped last year. The 22-year-old winger did well on a loan at Spanish La Liga side Getafe, winning the club’s Player of The Season award, and has been linked with several clubs, including Juventus, Lazio, and Napoli.

Manchester United may consider including Greenwood in a part-exchange deal due to their interest in signing Osimhen, as Napoli’s Sporting Director Giovanni Manna is believed to have a good impression of Greenwood.

Osimhen is desperate to play in the Premier League, but despite interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, and United, no club appears ready to trigger his £100m release clause.

For Napoli to agree to Osimhen’s switch to the Premier League, the Italian giants may have to desist from their rigid stance on the release clause. Getting the cash plus the Greenwood offer may be beneficial to both parties.

As reported by La Repubblica, citing Spazio Napoli, the Red Devils may initiate a significant exchange with Aurelio De Laurentiis’ club.

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The former Lille striker is confirmed to be on the way out by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, despite successfully tying him down to a new contract until the summer of 2026 last year.

Osimhen’s deal is thought to contain a release clause of around £113m, though, and Napoli will be powerless if an interested party triggers that option in the coming weeks.

Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Arsenal have been considered the leading contenders to sign the Nigeria international, although the Gunners will certainly not shell out a nine-figure sum to acquire his services.

Meanwhile, a recent report claimed that new Blues boss Enzo Maresca did not view Osimhen as an ideal fit for his system, instead seeking a striker who can drop deep and link play rather than an out-and-out target man.

Concerns over breaching Profit and Sustainability rules could also hinder Chelsea’s ability to sign Osimhen, who has been tipped to fill the boots of Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe at PSG.

However, CaughtOffside claims that Chelsea have not given up on trying to lure the 25-year-old to Stamford Bridge and are making ‘slow progress’ in their attempts to win the heated race.

While PSG’s interest in Osimhen is well-documented, the Ligue 1 champions are apparently yet to lodge an offer for the striker, but it remains to be seen if Napoli relent on their £113m demands.

The Blues may have an ace up their sleeve, though, as Napoli – now under the wing of Antonio Conte – are supposedly keen on bringing Romelu Lukaku to the club as a replacement for Osimhen.

The Belgium international excelled at Inter Milan with Conte at the helm but has failed to replicate his form in his second spell at Chelsea, who are desperate to offload him for good this summer.

Despite forking out a whopping £97.5m to re-sign Lukaku, Chelsea could let the ex-Manchester United man depart for a cut-price £37m in the summer window, having accepted that they will be taking a huge financial hit.

Should the Lukaku move be a non-starter, though, Napoli apparently have a couple of other replacements in mind, including Girona’s Artem Dovbyk and Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez.

Source: The Punch

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