Osimhen, Folorunsho kick off the new season with Napoli

The two Nigerian stars will be involved from the start as the Neapolitans open their preseason camp ahead of the new campaign

Napoli have included Super Eagles star forward Victor Osimhen and Nigeria-eligible midfielder Michael Folorunsho in the 29-man squad that officially kicks off the club’s preseason programme today, Saturday, July 9, 2022.

Osimhen and Folorunsho will join their Azzurri teammates at Val di Sole (the Sole Valley) in Trentino, northern Italy. That is where Napoli will have the first part of the pre-season training camp until July 19th.

Scheduled for 10 am Saturday at the Dimaro Sports Center is the team’s first training session.

On Thursday 14 July, Napoli will play the pre-season’s first friendly match against Anaune Val di Non also inside the Dimaro Sports Centre at 6 pm.

A second friendly follows three days later (Sunday, July 17) against Perugia.

Osimhen’s future

Participating in Napoli’s preseason is not a guarantee that Victor Osimhen will be with Il Partenopei when the Serie A kicks off in August.

The 23-year-old was the club’s top goalscorer last season, with 14 goals in the league and another four in the Europa League.

Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Chelsea are some of the continent’s biggest clubs that remain keen on signing the Nigerian striker.

It is expected that an offer above €100 million will be good enough to convince Napoli to part with their most treasured jewel.

Folorunsho’s future

After another year on loan, Michael Folorunsho is back at Napoli to convince manager Luciano Spalletti that he is ready to mix it with the big boys.

Signed from Virtus Francavilla in 2019, the 24-year-old midfielder is yet to make a single senior appearance for the Neapolitans.

Should he fail to impress Spalletti, Folorunsho could make a return to Serie B, with Frosinone and Bari among the early frontrunners for his signature.