Napoli confirm serious injury to Lukaku after Olympiacos friendly

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 7:10 AM ET

Napoli have confirmed that Romelu Lukaku has suffered a ‘high-grade’ injury in his thigh after the club’s 2-1 victory over Olympiacos in a pre-season friendly, which could lead Antonio Conte and his team to return to the transfer market for a new centre-forward.

Napoli confirm extent of Lukaku injury

Lukaku came off injured during a 2-1 pre-season win over Olympiacos on Thursday evening, just over a week out from their 2025-26 Serie A opener against Sassuolo, scheduled for Saturday evening this week.

Napoli have since confirmed that Lukaku has been for scans, and have revealed the full extent of the injury in an official statement on the club website.

“Following the injury he suffered during the match against Olympiacos, Romelu Lukaku underwent medical examinations at the Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a high-grade injury to the rectus femoris in his left thigh,” Napoli’s statement read.

“The Azzurri player has already begun the rehabilitation process and will receive surgical advice,” it concluded.

Initial reports suggest that the Belgian could be ruled out of action until November as a result of his injury.

Reports on Monday morning, meanwhile, claim that Napoli could be forced to return to the transfer market in order to find a new centre-forward to compete with summer signing Lorenzo Lucca.

Corriere dello Sport suggests that Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Roma’s Artem Dovbyk and Lecce’s Nicola Kristovic are among the potential options.

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

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