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Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid "never thought of" Victor Osimhen

Ancelotti says Real Madrid
© Reuters
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says that his club never considered moving for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen this summer.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that his club never considered moving for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen during this summer's transfer window.

The 24-year-old was in excellent form for his Italian club during the 2022-23 campaign, finding the back of the net on 31 occasions in 39 appearances, in addition to contributing five assists.

Osimhen scored 26 times during Napoli's Serie A title-winning campaign, and he was heavily linked with a move away from Naples in the early stages of the transfer window.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich were among the clubs thought to be interested in the Nigeria international, while Real Madrid were also thought to be keen.

Juventus' Adrien Rabiot in action with Napoli's Victor Osimhen on April 23, 2023© Reuters

However, Los Blancos boss Ancelotti has denied that his club considered making a move for the former Wolfsburg youngster.

Even the departure of Karim Benzema, who left on a free transfer from Saudi Arabia, did not lead to Real Madrid looking at a possible deal for Osimhen, claims their head coach.

"Osimhen is one of the strongest strikers in Europe, but we never thought of him. With the arrival of [Jude] Bellingham, we thought of making up for Benzema's farewell in other ways," Ancelotti told Sport Mediaset.

Jude Bellingham has been in excellent form for Real Madrid in the early stages of his Bernabeu career, finding the back of the net on three occasions in two appearances.

Joselu has been signed on loan from Espanyol to provide competition in the final third, while Brahim Diaz has also been brought back from a loan spell at AC Milan.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti on August 19, 2023© Reuters

Osimhen, who has less than two years left to run on his current deal, made a brilliant start to the 2023-24 campaign, scoring twice in a 3-1 win for Napoli against Frosinone last weekend.

Real Madrid were also linked with Harry Kane over the summer, but the England captain ultimately left Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich.

According to AS, Ancelotti has been so impressed with Bellingham's ability in front of goal that he is considering using the Englishman as a number nine in some matches this season.

Bellingham is currently playing as an advanced midfielder for Real Madrid behind a front two of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who have scored one goal each in the team's first two matches of the season.

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