With the 2023 summer transfer window open and plenty of moves announced already, clubs across Europe are already strengthening their squads for the new season. Once one player leaves one team and joins another, it tends to spark a cycle of players moving between clubs as different managers seek to find the perfect fit for their squad- a pattern in football that often leads to surprising moves. Here are some Nigerian players who we could see leaving their current clubs and making a move to new teams.
Victor Osimhen
As we covered in this article Napoli’s star striker will be a man in demand this summer, with many of Europe’s elite in the market for a goal-hungry centre forward. Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich are just a few of the teams who will be looking to secure his signature, but Napoli won’t sell cheap. At 24 years old Osimhen is entering his prime and is coming off a season in which he fired Napoli to Serie A glory, and with the Italian champions notorious for setting high prices for their prized possessions it will take a massive figure for another club to gain his services.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi
After Leicester City’s relegation to the EFL Championship, two players who will be keen to stay playing at the top level of European football are Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho. Despite both of them boasting extensive English Premier League experience (386 matches between them), they are just 26 years old and would be a great addition to many top-half sides across Europe. With Declan Rice looking likely to be leaving West Ham United this summer, Ndidi would be a great replacement for the England midfielder. With Brentford facing a long period without star man Ivan Toney, Iheanacho would make sense as a versatile replacement for the Bees.
Samuel Chukwueze
Already heavily linked with a move to Italian giants AC Milan, Chukwueze enjoyed an excellent season for Villarreal in La Liga, scoring 13 times in all competitions. A left-footed right winger with electric pace and an eye for goal, he would bolster many squads across Europe either as a starter or an option from the bench. The Milan links make a lot of sense- when superstar winger Rafael Leao is missing they often look slow in attack and struggle to break teams down- two parts of their game that Chukwueze would improve massively.
Gift Orban
After exploding onto the scene for Gent this season, Orban has attracted attention from man top clubs around europe. Fast, technical and with an eye for goal, the striker has already generated interest from Manchester United, who are looking for a striker to compliment their attacking talent that they already have in their squad. At only 20 years old, Orban has his career in front of him and the sort of potential that many managers across the continent have already identified.
Who do you think will be the highest profile Nigerian transfer this summer?
