Italian club Napoli confirmed that their Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku suffered a severe muscle injury to his left thigh during the friendly match in which the team beat Greek side Olympiakos 2-1 last Thursday as part of its preparations for the new season. The club said in an official statement that medical examinations conducted at the “Pineta Grande” hospital revealed a high-grade injury to the rectus femoris muscle, noting that Lukaku has already begun a rehabilitation program and will undergo a surgical consultation in the coming period. According to initial reports, the Belgian international could be absent until next November, which represents a heavy blow to coach Antonio Conte days before the Serie A opener against Sassuolo next Saturday. This absence could prompt Napoli to move again in the transfer market to look for a new striker to support the frontline alongside summer signing Lorenzo Lucca.

Corriere dello Sport reported that the list of candidates includes Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee (Manchester United), Frenchman Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Ukrainian Artem Dovbyk (Roma), and Serbian Nikola Krstović (Lecce).