20 year old former Nigeria U23 invitee Osaze Urhoghide is close to sealing a switch to Portuguese giants Benfica per reports in England.

Osaze turned down the offer of a contract extension with Sheffield Wednesday following their relegation from the English Championship last season in order to try something new.

Per the Sun he is prime to join Benfica on a free transfer when his contract officially ends with the English League One side despite interest from fellow Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon and Belgium outfit Club Brugge.

Born to Nigerian parents in the Netherlands but moved to England at the age of five he is eligible to represent all three countries but for now he is keen on Nigeria only and was called up to the last U23.

Injury made him not to honour the call but a strong showing at Benfica if the deal go through will most likely see him back in the frame of a national team call up. His expected arrival coincides with the departure of Tyronne Ebuehi.

He is expected to take the spot of Ebuehi who has agreed a loan move to newly promoted Italian Serie A Venezia. His second consecutive loan spell after spending last season with FC Twente in the Netherlands.

Serbian side Partizan Belgrade have revealed that they are entitled to 40% of whatever transfer fee Almeria gets from the sale of Nigerian forward Sadiq Umar.

The lanky forward spend a goal laden 18 months at the club before moving to Spanish second division side Almeria last summer.

The deal saw Partizan net €5 million but in the deal it was also agreed that if Almeria fail to gain promotion then 40% of whatever amount Sadiq is sold for will go to the Serbian side.

Almeria failed to gain promotion despite Sadiq scoring 20 goals with seven assists in 38 games and it means any transfer as it stands now will see Partizan get 40% of the fee.

Rated at €40 million, Ivica Iliev the Sporting Director of the team revealed that they will be due €14 million if he is sold at that fee. “If Sadiq left Almería this season and they did not achieve promotion [current scenario] , we would have  40% in future transfer,  reduced by 5 million already paid as fixed last summer”, he explained.

“Therefore, if Sadiq ends up transferred for 40 million, it would remain at 35 million and, from there, we would make 40%, that is, 14 million euros they would be ours ”.

FC Porto Nigerian left back Zaidu Sanusi has been told to forget about a move away from the club in wake of report linking him with a possible move to Roma.

New coach of Roma Jose Mourinho is an admirer of the Nigeria international and some reports has it that he has his eyes on him as he aim to strengthen the squad he took over few months ago.

Zaidu was equally linked with a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers when Nuno Espírito Santo was the coach but according to a source close to the player, he has been told to forget about any move away from the Portuguese side.

“I think it’s normal for him to be linked with a move away after the season he had but he isn’t going anywhere. A discussion was held with his agent where it was agreed that another season with Porto is the best for now”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Meanwhile Porto have set their sight on getting another left back and have according to reports want to sign Palmeiras left back Matias Vina.

Vina who is valued at €10 million is expected to challenge Zaidu for the left back slot which he made his last season which was his first at club following his move from Santa Clara last summer.


Fulham of England defender Tosin Adarabiyio says he is still focused on his dream of representing England at senior international level even though he is eligible for Nigeria.

Adarabiyio represented England at various youth levels but was rumored to be among a group of players who have pledged their future to the senior national team of Nigeria sometimes around last year.

Towards the end of last season he cleared the air by saying he is keen on making the English team for the Euros, something that didn’t happen but he still remains adamant that he will one day get his chance.

“ It’s a dream of mine. I just have to play at the top level and at my best to get a look in. My desire was to be a part of the squad for the Euros but that didn’t work but I believe in the future if I continue to work hard. It will happen for me”, he said in an interview on his next career move.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick says the football body under his leadership did all they could to lure England rave of the moment Bukayo Saka to play for Nigeria .

Around this time last year, Pinnick said the NFF won’t beg the Arsenal teen sensation to play for Nigeria as he believe they can unearth players of his level locally here in Nigeria.

Saka is an excellent prospect but we have other players in his position who are playing so well,” Pinnick said in an Instagram Live chat.

“We have talents everywhere so we won’t beg people to play for Nigeria. It is about ardour and fervour, If it’s their desire and they merit it, they’ll be given a chance to represent Nigeria.”

He has now backtracked on that statement after seeing Saka’s performance for England at the ongoing European Championship. He claim they did all they could to lure him to Nigeria.

“ We did all we could for Saka to commit to Nigeria and I mean it. Spoke with his parents, agent and even the player himself but it was clear he has his mind made up. We can only wish him a successful career at club and national level”.

The senior national team of Nigeria largely made up of players playing in the Nigeria Professional Football League had their first training session ahead of July 3rd friendly game against Mexico.

In total around 25 players took part in the session which was handled by coach Austin Eguavoen alongside Paul Aigbogun with head coach of the main team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr watching on.

The players engaged themselves in a practice game which was won by a lone goal scorer by Enugu Rangers winger Ibrahim Olawoyin against captain of the team Ikechukwu Ezenwa.

Olawoyin was excellent all through making smart moves on the right side and causing all sort of troubles for Enyinnaya Kazie who was up against him during the course of the practice match.

One player who caught the eyes of the watching Rohr and handful of spectators at the session was Kwara United left back Lawal Oriyomi Muritala who supplies the assist for Olawoyin to score the only goal of the session.

He was very much at home in his role combining his defence duties with constant foray upfield with telling balls into the box, one of which was converted by Olawoyin.

Muritala was by far the best player of today’s session and he has no doubt put himself in frame for a starting role in next month friendly if he maintains his performance of
today.

Nigeria international right fullback Tyronne Ebuehi will tomorrow complete a loan move to newly promoted Serie A side Venezia.

Owned by Portuguese champions Benfica the 25 year old will join the team after the completion of a routine medical tomorrow, in a deal that gives the Serie A side the option to sign him permanently at the end of his loan deal.

Last season he was on loan to Dutch side FC Twente and he made 33 appearances in the league, a run that made Twente to push for a permanent deal but they couldn’t meet up with the finances required to make the deal permanent, Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

A serious knee ligament injury picked up in pre season shortly after his move from ADO Den Haag kept him out for nearly two season and since then he hasn’t gotten a chance with the Portuguese side.

Now back to full fitness, he will be aiming to return to the form that made him a big hit for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup where he excelled despite the Nigerian team crashing out in the group stage.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has his sight on holding talks with Noah Atubolu who was recently promoted to the first team of newly promoted Bundesliga side Freiburg.

The 19 year old goalkeeper who captained the U23 of the team in some games last season was among three players promoted to the first team ahead of their campaign next season.

Rated highly than present Super Eagles first choice Maduka Okoye during their formative years in Germany, Atubolu will require approval from FIFA to represent Nigeria as he has already played for Germany at U17 and U19 level.

He kept 8 clean sheets in 25 games last season where he also conceded 22 goals for the U23 in the Regionalliga Sudwest League for youth players.

Rohr want to do an Okoye style of blooding him into the Super Eagles but the move is yet to properly take off with although he has been sounded out already by the Nigerian team.

Former Tottenham Hotspur teen prospect Luke Ayodele Amos has extended his hand of charity to the village of his father in Ekiti State Nigeria.

Born in London to parents of Nigerian descent, 24 year old Amos who now plays for QPR showed he hasn’t forgotten his roots by visiting the ancestral village of his father.

He brought succor to the Ayede Ekiti community by drilling water boreholes to help their quest to get portable drinking water. A project which he personally commissioned before returning back to the United Kingdom.

With two caps to his name for England at Under-18 level, his recent gesture has no doubt showed where his senior international loyalty lies but he first of all need to get his club career back on track.

Last season a cruciate ligament injury picked up early into the season limited him to just five games in the English Championship and one in the EFL Cup.

The race to sign Sadiq Umar from Spanish second division side Almeria is hotting up with as many as ten teams now interested in the lanky forward.

24 year old Sadiq scored 20 league goals and seven assists in 38 games but his efforts wasn’t enough as Almeria missed out on promotion to the La Liga.

After losing out on promotion Almeria decided to slash the buy out clause of the forward from €60 million to around €25 million and it appears that move has triggered interest from more teams.

Speaking to OwnGoalNigeria.com, a member of his representatives said as many as team names have officially registered their interest in signing the forward this summer.

“ It’s a lot crazier now with offers coming in from all angles. The report that Almeria are willing to drive down the buy out clause has played a role in it. At the moment we are studying offers from ten teams”, he said.

Although he didn’t mentions names teams like Real Betis, Sevilla, Villarreal, Valencia, Getafe, Rayo Vallecano, Spartak Moscow, Bayern Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt have all been credited with an interest in the ex Roma forward.