Napoli interest in Tolu Arokodare has been watered down by the fact that the Genk striker could feature at the next AFCON in December and so miss several important matches.
Napoli are desperate for a striker with the same profile as Romelu Lukaku, who is injured and will be sidelined for several months.
Arokodare has been listed among the direct replacements for Lukuku.
However, Corriere del Mezzogiorno has reported that the major concern against Arokodare, who made his long-awaited Super Eagles debut in March against Rwanda, is that he could be away from Napoli for the AFCON in Morocco in December when the championship race across Europe is heating up.
“Arokodare is in the Nigerian national team setup, the possible departure for the Africa Cup is a factor to think about,” the Italian newspaper posited.
Top Transfer Expert Alfredo Pedulla also has his doubts on the Super Eagles centre-forward.
“Arokodare is convincing and unconvincing. He reminds one of Lukaku but isn’t convincing,” he remarked, while suggesting that Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund remains the best option to fill in for the injured Lukaku.
