Napoli’s preparations for the 2025/2026 Serie A season have been disrupted by a significant injury to star forward Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian striker, Romelu Lukaku sustained a serious thigh injury during a pre-season friendly against Olympiacos and is expected to be sidelined for at least three months.
The club’s official statement confirmed a “high-grade injury to the rectus femoris of the left thigh” and noted that Lukaku has already begun rehabilitation and will seek surgical advice.
This setback leaves manager Antonio Conte without his key attacker for the start of the new campaign. While Napoli did sign young Italian striker Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese earlier this summer, he is considered a long-term project rather than an immediate solution. As a result, Conte is now pressuring the club to find an attacking replacement.
What are Napoli’s alternative for Romelu Lukaku’s replacement?
According to reports from Italy, Napoli has a list of potential transfer targets, including Joshua Zirkzee, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Artem Dovbyk, and Nikola Krstovic. Conte’s top choice is believed to be Zirkzee, who had a challenging debut season at Manchester United after joining them from Bologna last summer.
Zirkzee’s playing time at United is now further in doubt following the club’s €85 million signing of Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig, who is set to lead the attack alongside new forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Napoli will now need to quickly evaluate their options to secure a temporary replacement before the transfer window closes.
Read more sports related news here. follow us on Facebook and X for notification on new post.
