The 2025 summer transfer window is very much on and footballers have been moving from different clubs to the other.
Some footballers have changed clubs following a splendid 2024/25 season where they shone like diamonds in the sky while a few others joined new teams after falling out of favour at their former sides.
We have also seen footballers join new teams following the expiration of their contracts at their former club.
With the summer transfer window still open until later on in the year, the Guardian takes a look at 10 Nigerian players who are set to change clubs.
VICTOR OSIMHEN (Napoli, Italy)
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, is number one on the list of Nigerian players who are set to join new clubs this summer, especially after the wonderful campaign he enjoyed with Galatasaray.
Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli last year’s summer and the striker went ahead to have a truly remarkable campaign with the Turkish club.
The 26-year-old scored 37 goals and contributed eight assists in 41 games across all competitions for Galatasaray, helping the club to win the Turkish Super Lig title and the Turkish Cup.
So far this summer, Osimhen who is in Nigeria on holiday has had interest from Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia while he has also been linked with moves to the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
According to a recent update by Italian transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, Al Hilal is still keen to sign Osimhen before the summer transfer window comes to an end.
Romano had earlier said that Al Hilal made an official bid of €70 million to Napoli for the services of the Super Eagles striker.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray is reportedly still looking at the possibility of signing Osimhen on a permanent deal but only time will tell as regards where the striker will play his club football next season.
TOLU AROKODARE (Genk, Belgium)
Without an iota of doubt, it has been an absolute fantastic nine months for Tolu Arokodare who is another Nigerian player tipped to move this summer, having emerged as KRC Genk’s top striker, bagging 23 goals and seven assists in 45 games across all competitions in the 2024/25 season, announcing himself across Europe.
After struggling in his first season at Genk, the striker hit the ground running this term. He also turned Genk’s title challenge on its head during last season.
Though Genk who topped the table in the Belgian Professional League during the regular season finished third at the end of the day, it did not diminish Arokodare’s conquest which has naturally attracted interests.
Also for national team, he has also been sufficiently efficient. He rescued a draw for Nigeria in the last international friendly game against Russia. He has been linked with clubs in France and England, and the club have said they will demand a hefty fee for the Nigerian international, much more than they sold his compatriot, Paul Onuachu, whom he replaced at the club.
The club sold Onuachu for €20 million to Southampton in January 2023. Genk president, Peter Croonen, said as quoted by Voetbalprimeur: “An amount like with Onuachu? Let me say that I don’t want to say much about that, but we want much more.”
The 24-year-old previously rejected a move to Trabzonspor but Arokodare could now be set for a switch this summer, with both Turkish and English clubs showing interest.
A recent report also indicated that Arokodare whose market value is €18m is open to joining Manchester United, having disclosed that he is a die-hard fan of the Red Devils.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (Atalanta, Italy)
From all indications, Ademola Lookman’s profile seems to have grown bigger than Atalanta’s after spending three brilliant seasons there. Scoring 40 goals across three seasons from the wing, first as a player under probation in Bergamo from RB Leipzig in one of the world’s most hard-tackling football leagues, is no mean feat.
Paris Saint-Germain could not resist his aura after his masterclass in the final of the 2024 UEFA Europa League in Ireland. Atalanta blatantly frustrated the move and, according to Fabrizio Romano, the reigning African footballer of the year had a gentleman agreement with the club to leave this summer.
Last season, Lookman scored 20 goals, the most fruitful season of his career till date for the Serie A club, and he is not short of admirers both in Italy and beyond. What he brings to the table in the final third is never in doubt.
Juventus, Serie A champions Napoli, Arsenal and Barcelona have been all been linked with a move for him. The Nigerian international’s style of play is an eye-catching one. However, Atalanta seems to be shifting the rhetoric in the last few weeks regarding his future, following the appointment of Ivan Juric, who replaced Gian Piero Gasperini.
With no particular release clause in his contract, which could have existed had he signed a new deal, Atalanta are said to be holding out for at least €60m for him, considering the calibre of his suitors.
But Tutto Atalanta reports that Napoli do not intend to go beyond the €50m threshold, which is €10m less than his club’s valuation, and are the most serious of the four clubs.
However, apart from his wage demands which would go up slightly with a move, Lookman would need Atalanta to come down in their demand to enable him move on in his career.
RAPHAEL ONYEDIKA (Club Brugge, Belgium)
Raphael Onyedika who has been one of the most consistent Super Eagles players in the last two seasons is another Nigerian who is ripe for a move to a bigger league than the Belgian First Division A.
After picking Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as the most consistent and reliable Super Eagles in recent times, it would be Onyedika. He was very crucial to Club Brugge winning the Belgian Jupiler Pro League two seasons ago.
He was also a key factor in the club’s run towards defending their championship last season, when Brugge finished second. The 24-year-old featured in 46 matches, playing more minutes than any other Nigerian player during the 2024/2025 season.
The Super Eagles combative midfielder has a number of clubs in Europe on his trail. Last summer, he was close to joining Turkish Super Lig champions, Galatasaray but the deal did not see the light of the day due to the amount Club Brugge demanded.
It is most likely that the scenario will play out again this summer, with the likes of AC Milan and Aston Villa expressing interest in Onyedika. According to reports, Milan are considering replacing Tijjani Reijnders who, has joined Manchester City, with the Nigerian. Therefore, it is most likely that Brugge could again be demanding what suitors might be unwilling to pay.
VICTOR BONIFACE (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
Victor Boniface’s form during the 2024/25 season has drawn admiration from Chelsea and Juventus. With 11 goals and two assists in 27 appearances, the 24-year-old was close to joining Al Nassr in January before the deal fell through.
As things stand, though, with title-winning manager, Xabi Alonso having left to join Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen may be tempted to cash in on the Nigerian forward this summer.
Boniface was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Month multiple times in his debut season with Leverkusen while he also won the league title and the DFB Pokal with the club, playing a prominent role.
The Super Eagles attacker played a crucial role in Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title win, finishing as the club’s top scorer with 14 goals in the German top-flight despite being out of action for three months due to injury.
KELECHI IHEANACHO (Sevilla, Spain)
Kelechi Iheanacho scored with ease in William Troost-Ekong Foundation’s charity game at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos last Sunday, but he lacked that touch during the 2024/2025 campaign.
The 28-year-old joined Sevilla as a free agent last summer amid huge expectations by fans and officials of the Seville-based side, considering his years of experience in the Premier League with Manchester City and Leicester City.
However, it took only months before they began to realize they had to tamper their expectations. To mitigate the disappointment from Iheanacho’s misfiring, the La Liga club was forced to sign another Nigerian, Akor Adams who has also turned out to be like-for-like as far as Sevilla is concerned.
The 2021 FA Cup winner went on loan to Championship club, Middlesbrough with the hope of helping the club to the playoffs and then return to the English Premier League but Iheanacho could only register one goal and two assists in 15 matches as Boro finished 10th on the table.
The English club wasted no time in shipping Iheanacho back to Sevilla. The Nigerian international needs a fresh start in an environment where he would flourish this summer, more than any of his compatriot and soldiers of the same struggle. Apparently, he may likely have to sit on the bench at Sevilla if he decides to stay put as he would be behind Akor in the pecking order.
UMAR SADIQ (Real Sociedad, Spain)
Among the roll call of Nigerian players who struggled last season, Umar Sadiq clearly fared the best. Clearly out of Imanol Alguacil’s plans, Sadiq became surplus to requirements at the club. It is a sad narrative how it has all turned out to be for the former AS Roma attacker after his big-money move from Almeria.
The 28-year-old’s career started well at the Reale Arena but the career-ending anterior cruciate ligament damage in the 2022/2023 season became an unfortunate turn. Since then, he could barely manage to strike the bar, talk less of banging in goals. The situation could be pointing to a very psychological one.
Why it is so is because he showed his old-time deadly self at Valencia during his loan move. Certainly, Sadiq’s work and time at Sociedad seem to be done except something dramatic and unprecedented happens.
The player remains a decent player that could be attracted to at least a mid-table club in the Spanish topflight but the bottom line is that Sadiq needs a different and fresh breath of life in a new environment that comes with regular football. Valencia have refused to sign him on a permanent deal due to what Sociedad are asking for.
EMMANUEL DENNIS (Nottingham Forest, England)
Emmanuel Dennis should be one of those players going toe-to-toe with Ademola Lookman on the flank in the senior national team right now but the former makes the list of Nigerian players tipped for moves in almost all the transfer windows, whether winter or summer.
Dennis, in his first season in the Premier League showed how much gift he carries in his boots in the colours of Watford. However, things have gone south for him since then after the team’s relegation and joining Nottingham Forest in 2022.
He made only 25 appearances for the Reds, scoring twice and providing three assists. Since 2023, he has persistently been sent out on loan, joining Turkish Super Lig side, Istanbul Basaksehir, his former club, Watford and Championship club, Blackburn Rovers, last season with none impressed enough with his performance to demand a permanent stay for him.
Now back at Forest as Blackburn gladly ended his stay in May, Dennis needs a new club to re-launch his career and that is beginning from this summer. The last time he got a look in the Super Eagles was three years ago in the international friendly against Portugal.
WILFRED NDIDI (Leicester City, England)
Wilfred Ndidi faces a pivotal decision following Leicester City’s relegation to the SkyBet Championship, the second time in three years that the Nigerian midfielder would be suffering such fate.
Also, following the departure of coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Leicester on Friday, it is looking as if Ndidi has already played his last competitive game for the Foxes, especially after being linked with a move to Everton which will give him an opportunity to remain in the Premier League.
Despite signing a contract extension at the King Power Stadium until 2027, a £9m release clause has been activated due to the club’s relegation. The 28-year-old midfielder is also reportedly attracting interest from some clubs in Italy, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE (AC Milan, Italy)
How Samuel Chukwueze got to this disappointing stage remains a mystery, especially if one looks back to where his football career was while playing for Villarreal of Spain.
Chukwueze’s spell at AC Milan has been nothing but underwhelming. Since joining in the summer transfer window of 2023, the Super Eagles winger has been very far from being super, having bagged a highly disappointing eight goals and six assists in 69 appearances.
With Milan failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League and Europe in general, Chukwueze being up for sale is on the cards, with reports saying that Fulham have shown interest in him, and a return to Villarreal also remains a possibility.
