Lukaku’s injury forces Napoli to look for new striker

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Lorenzo Bettoni | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 4:55 AM ET

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.

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

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.

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.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: