Lukaku’s injury forces Napoli to look for new striker | OneFootball

Napoli expect Romelu Lukaku to remain out of action for several weeks due to a thigh injury, forcing director Giovanni Manna to look for a new striker.

Napoli will release an injury update on Lukaku today, Monday, August 18, but according to Corriere dello Sport and other prominent Italian media, the defending Serie A champions are already aware that the Belgian forward will remain out of action for several weeks.

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 23: Romelu Lukaku of Napoli celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Cagliari at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 23, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Lukaku suffered an injury during a 2-0 win over Olympiacos on August 14, and his condition is so concerning that Napoli director Manna has already targeted some attacking reinforcements.

Napoli’s options to replace Lukaku

Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United gestures during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC at Anfield on January 05, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

According to Corriere dello Sport, the leading candidates for the role are Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Roma’s Artem Dovbyk and Lecce’s Nikola Krstovic.

UDINE, ITALY – JANUARY 26: Artem Dovbyk of AS Roma looks on during the Serie A match between Udinese and AS Roma at Stadio Friuli on January 26, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Napoli already signed Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese earlier this summer, but the Italy international remains the only other option in the centre-forward position following the sales of Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori.

Napoli are on the verge of completing their seventh summer signing as Spanish left-back Miguel Gutierrez began medical tests on Monday morning.