Top five Nigerian players to watch in the summer transfer window

Some Nigerian footballers in Europe have been putting up exceptional performances for their clubs.

After scoring double-digit goals this season, a few Nigerian players have risen to the top of their respective league scoring charts.

This, however, has attracted the curiosity of various clubs throughout the globe to attract these talents to their respective clubs.

Given this, Soccernet.ng predicts that these top five players will join another club based on their performances.

Josh Maja

Josh Maja has been a standout for FC Girondins Bordeaux, scoring 11 goals and assisting three times in 23 games in Ligue 2. With this, the Nigerian has tied Metz’s Georges Mikautadze for the top place in the Ligue 2 scoring chart.

Maja has improved from a mediocre season to an amazing one after a protracted injury period that kept him out of action for the whole 2021-22 season, leaving him with just two games to participate.

With the 24-year-old’s contract expiring in the summer, this would make him a free agent, which will make him walk into any interested club for free.

Victor Osimhen

The Super Eagles talisman is unquestionably the man of the moment. Having made a spectacular return from the injury he sustained in September 2022, the striker has scored 16 league goals in 17 match appearances.

His outstanding performance has sparked the interest of Manchester United, Chelsea, and other European clubs eager to recruit the striker in the summer.

Despite this, Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has said that the striker is not for sale. However, since Osimhen’s contract with the Parthenopeans expires on June 30, 2025, the Gli Azzurri will be hoping to benefit handsomely from the deal this summer.

Samuel Chukwueze

The Umuahia native is one of those wingers who has been on the radar of certain European teams for some time. Meanwhile, it was believed that he will join his manager, Unai Emery, at Aston Villa after moving from Villarreal to England.

The 23-year-old has appeared in 19 domestic league matches for the Yellow Submarine, starting 11 of them. As a consequence, the Nigerian may be contemplating leaving the club at the end of the season.

Villarreal signed the Nigerian winger from the Diamond Academy for €500k, and he is now worth €20 million; nevertheless, now is the best time for the club to cash in on him at a greater price.

Chuba Akpom

In the January transfer window, Akpom was on the radar of Southampton, who are trying to improve their attack in their bid to escape the English Premier League relegation zone.

The transaction, however, fell through, prompting the Saints to switch their focus to KRC Genk forward Paul Onuachu.

Under his new boss, Michael Carrick, the 27-year-old striker has been in excellent form, leading the Skybet Championship side with 16 goals.

It won’t be shocking if several European clubs approach the English-Nigerian player, who has vowed to play for Nigeria in 2019 and whose contract expires this summer.

Bright Osayi-Samuel

Osayi-Samuel’s return to England was another move that fell through during the January transfer window. The Nigerian full-back was on the brink of joining Bournemouth, but the deal with Fenerbahçe fell through owing to demands from both clubs.

The Super Eagles defender’s strong performance in the Turkish league suggests that a move away from Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is not out of the question.