Napoli appear to have booted Victor Osimhen from their first-team squad and handed his shirt number to Romelu Lukaku.
The 25-year-old striker was expected to leave on Deadline Day but moves to Chelsea and Al Ahli fell through.
It is understood delegates from Chelsea were in Naples until the final moments of transfer window before accepting a deal could not be done.
The Blues told Napoli they would take Osimhen on loan with an obligation to buy, but could not agree personal terms with the forward.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli signed Ivan Toney from Brentford for £40million, despite agreeing a deal to buy Osimhen earlier on Friday.
It was claimed the Saudi Pro League side had a bid worth £67m accepted by Napoli and offered Osimhen a four-year package worth £135m in wages and bonuses.
Chelsea were unwilling to match the terms on offer in Saudi Arabia and did not want to overspend on the deal due to Profit and Sustainability regulations.
The Nigerian ended up staying at Napoli despite his relationship with the club being broken.
Now, Osimhen no longer appears on the club website, while new signing Lukaku is listed as their No.9.
Lukaku ended his Chelsea nightmare by reuniting with Antonio Conte in a £30million permanent move on Thursday.
The Saudi transfer window is still open, offering Osimhen one possible escape route.
However, Al Ahli have reached their full quota of foreign players, making a move to the PIF-owned side unlikely following Toney’s arrival.
Earlier this week, Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda wrote a statement on X to insist his client was still an asset to Napoli.
Calenda said: “Osimhen is a Napoli player, with a contract recently renewed with mutual satisfaction.
“He made history and when there were major offers (also this year) we always accepted the club’s decisions. As I said, he is not a package to be shipped far away to make room for new prophets.
“Victor was elected African footballer of the year, eighth at the Ballon d’Or, he still has so much to do in Europe.
“There needs to be respect and balance.”
Osimhen has scored 61 Serie A goals in 108 appearances and helped Napoli win the title in 2023.
He previously fell out with the club over a social media post from their own accounts which appeared to mock him for missing a penalty.
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News Summary:
- Napoli take brutal measures after Victor Osimhen to Chelsea falls through
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.