Salernitana have opened talks with the Nigerian duo of Joel Obi and Simy Nwankwo over a deal that will see them team up with the newly promoted Serie A side.

Sky Sport Italia report that talks are already advanced with 30 year old Obi who is a free agent following the expiration of his deal with Serie B side Chievo. The club are banking on his experience as he has spent almost his entire career in Italy.

Parma, Torino and Chievo are the teams he has played for since leaving Inter Milan where he had his breakthrough years ago and earned a spot in the senior national team of Nigeria.

29 year old Simy who scored 20 Serie A goals last season for Crotone who were relegated from the top flight is in talks with the newly promoted side as well. Udinese, Genoa and Torino are the other teams interested in acquiring his service.

The asking price for Simy is in the region of €10m, a price tag that has also alerted teams outside Italy as well but his priority is to remain in the Italy.

The Nigerian contingent at English Premier League side Watford is about to be reduced by two with the duo of Isaac Success and Dapo Mebude linked with loan move away from the team.

Both players are facing stiff competition in their respective positions and with the club keen on reducing their squad number they are on the verge of getting loaned out before the end of the current transfer window.

Talks with Udinese over Success has already started with the sister club of Watford in the market for a striker in the mould of the Nigerian who despite his struggle is still highly regarded by the owners of both teams.

Mebude who only joined the team in the summer will be shipped out on loan in order for him to get game time and also get use to the pace of English football following his arrival on a free transfer from Scottish side Ranger.

He is expected to join a team in the lower rung of English football. Their expected departure will see the quartet of William Troost-Ekong, Tom Dele Bashiru, Emmanuel Dennis and Oghenekaro Etebo as the only Nigerians in the first team of the newly promoted English Premier League side.

Fans of French Ligue 1 side Nantes have sent a message to Nigerian winger Moses Simon who is linked with a move away from the team to fellow French side Marseille.

Simon has emerged as the star of the Ligue 1 side the past two seasons with 11 goals and ten assists from 59 games in the Ligue. A tally that qualifies him as the team’s most potent force in attack.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed and with Nantes merely surviving the drop to Ligue 2 last season, Simon is seen as one of the player who is unhappy at the lack of investment in the squad so far and he could push for a move.

Marseille hold a long interest in the winger and they have already sounded out his representatives over a potential deal before the end of the summer transfer window.

Fans of the team got wind of the rumors and on their forum pleaded with the recently turned 26 year old not to push for a move away as he is very key to the aspirations next season.

Coach Antoine Kambouare is also keen on retaining the winger and made it known to him two days ago when he resumed pre season training.

Simon on his part is waiting to see the level of investment that will be done on the team before taking a stand on his future.

There seems to be no way back for Nigerian wing forward Henry Onyekuru at Ligue 1 side Monaco as he has been told in clear terms that he is not in the plans of the coach.

Onyekuru returned from a loan spell with Galatasary in Turkey and was expected to at least take part in pre season training at Monaco to push for another chance at the club.

For now that is not the case has coach Niko Kovac has confirmed that the 24 year old and two others who recently returned loans won’t be playing for his team next season.

Kovac made this known after the pre season game against Cercle Brugge four days ago, he said the trio of Onyekuru, Keita Balde and Antonio Barrera are free to leave the club as they won’t play as long as he remains the coach.

Like the other two mentioned by the coach, Onyekuru has not included in the squad for pre season training ahead of the start of next season as the coach is focusing on players who have a future at the club.

Highly rated 17 year old midfielder Gibson Yah has been promoted to the first team of Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam after impressing for the youth side.

Yah progressed from the U15 to the U21 within a space of two years as his phenomenal rise through the ranks due to his talent meant he spent just one year with the U17 before stepping up to the U18.

In just three months with the U18 he was promoted to the U21 where he played the most last season before his current elevation to the first team as a part of their pre season squad.

Full name Gibson Osahumen Yah, the ex Dutch U15 prospect was born to parents of Nigerian descent in the Netherlands and he is still eligible to play for the West African country.

So far he has no appearance for both nations at competitive level but that could be a thing of the past if he establishes himself in the first team of Ajax in the coming years.

If all goes according to plan Watford will in the coming days sign another Nigerian to swell their presence at the club to eight as they presently have seven on their books.

The newly promoted English Premier League team have taken 17 year old forward Abdul Abdulmalik on trial following his departure from Millwall in the summer.

Abdul is available on a free transfer but Millwall will be due some form of payment as compensation if he moves to any team after rejecting a contract extension at the club.

Portsmouth had him on trials but decided against offering him a deal and that has opened the door for Watford to hand him a chance to impress their technical crew ahead of a deal.

Already they have seven Nigerians in Isacc Success, William Ekong, Tom Dele Bashiru, Emmanuel Dennis, Dapo Mebude, Oghenekaro Etebo and Joseph Hungbo on their books.

Almeria Nigerian striker Sadiq Umar will set a new transfer record in the Spanish second division by the time he completes his proposed transfer away from Almeria.

The hot in demand forward is valued at €30 million by the Spanish second division side following their decision to drive down his release clause from €60 million. They however also want a player included as part of any deal for the lanky forward.

Almeria have made it known to interested parties that they won’t be backing down on their valuation after agreeing to lower his original buy out close and that could see them set a new transfer record from his sale.

Darwin Nunez who was sold to Benfica for €24 million by same team currently holds the record for the most expensive sale from a second division team in Spain but 20 goals man Sadiq is in line to smash it.

Sevilla are heading the queue for his signing but they also face competitions from teams in France, Germany, Italy and Russia. Fellow La Liga side Real Betis are also readying an offer for the 24 year old.

Captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Ahmed Musa has turned down a lucrative offer reportedly worth $4 million a year from an unnamed team in Qatar, OwnGoalNigeria.com exclusively gathered.

Musa returned to Nigeria Professional Football League side Kano Pillars as he bid to keep himself in shape following his departure from Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr.

We gathered an offer from Qatar was tabled to him but despite the huge amount on offer as wages he turned it down as he is keen on returning to Europe.

A move to Turkey is high on his agenda for now with a deal soon to be agreed as talks have accelerated over personal terms. He is keen on getting back into European football action before the Super Eagles 2022 World Cup qualifiers begin.

Barring any last minute hiccup he should leave Nigeria for Turkey next week to seal the deal which is believed to be with a Turkish team playing in UEFA Cup competition next season.

Sadio Mane has emerged as the closest to young Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi who is having his first pre season training with the first team of English Premier League giants Liverpool.

Awoniyi was handed a spot in the squad for Liverpool’s pre season camp in Austria with coach Jurgen Klopp keen on assessing the forward at close quarters after he was granted a work permit.

Although they are still open to letting the 24 year old leave the club on a temporary or permanent deal, the first priority still remains seeing how he fits into their squad ahead of the start of next season.

Helping him in settling down at the club is his fellow African brother Sadio Mane who is according to sources playing the role of an elder brother to the Nigerian at the club even though he is also close to other Africans at the club.

Mane ensures he is well looked after and even during drills he tag along with the Nigerian who is eyeing a breakthrough at the club six years after his move to the team. He has been sent out on several loans due to lack of work permit.

Former Nigeria international defender Celestine Babayaro says the senior national team of Nigeria don’t strike fear into the mind of opposing teams anymore.

Babayaro said the departure of four key players in Vincent Enyeama, Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo and Victor Moses has left the team without any player who strikes fear into the mind of opponents.

“ It’s not what it use to be anymore. Few years ago during the World Cup qualifiers you can see that opponents turned up for games against Nigeria with concerns over some big name players”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

“ The departure of Enyeama, Mikel, Ighalo and Moses has left the team with no real leader who carries a fear factor. At the moment they have talented players but they lack players who strike fear into the mind of opponents”, he remarked.

Speaking further he said other team now sees them as a very ordinary team that they can beat if they go toe to toe against them due to the lack of top level player who can decide games on their own.

“ When you don’t have players who can produce moment of magic in tight games then the team is ordinary. I see the Super Eagles of now as an ordinary team”, he conceded.