Emerging Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig are among a host of teams keen on securing the services of Isloch Nigerian left back Stephen Bitok, Owngoalnigeria.com understands.

RB Leipzig have sent their scouts to watch the 19 year old severally and in one of the games he was voted the man of the pitch and that left the scouts impressed in what they saw.

Bitok was prime for a move to Ukraine side Dynamo Kiev but Isloch decision to trigger a clause that empowers them to extend his deal halted the move in January.

Aside RB Leipzig , Lokeren , Genk and Gent have also made checks on the defender who impressed for Nigeria at the U23 Cup of Nations despite the disappointing performance of the team.

Isloch are resigned to letting the Super Eagles hopeful leave but they want a fee around €2 million for the defender they signed from Gee Lec Academy of Jos a year ago.

Daniel Martins 

Serie A giants Napoli have dropped their asking price for top striker Arkadiusz Milik for any team bar Juventus as they are unwilling to sell to a direct rival.

Milik will have a year to run on his deal at the end of this season and instead of losing him for free the club is keen on offloading him as they have already identified his replacement already .

Napoli as reported by owngoalnigeria.com have agreed a deal in principle to sign Nigerian winger Victor Osimhen from Lille for a fee in the region of €60 million after assuring the 21 year old that he will be their top striker next season.

The idea is to let Milik leave for a fee below the initial asking price of €45 million since they have already gotten a replacement for the forward who scored 12 goals in 22 games before the season was halted in Italy .

Ade Emmanuel 

Wilfred Ndidi who has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid will cost €70 million with Leicester City keen on making the most from his potential transfer .

Ndidi was earlier said to be worth around €45 million which placed him as one of the priority of Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as he is way cheaper than the other options available.

However Leicester City are known to be very tough in negotiations and won’t bulge on their asking price even if the player push for a move when the transfer window opens.

Although Zidane is a strong admirer of the 23 year old Nigerian, the coronavirus crisis means clubs do not have enough move to spend big on transfers and Ndidi isn’t particularly keen on a move from the King Power stadium.

Chelsea were the other rumored to be interested in him with reports claiming that Ndidi want to remain in the UK to complete his education but their interest according to several reports is subject to the sale of Jorginho who is linked with a move to Juventus.

Daniel Martins 

Legendary Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure says the current players coming through for the senior national team of Nigeria will make them stronger in years to come.

While speaking on the rise of African footballers and what it means for African football in regards to how they will perform against the rest of the world , Toure picked Nigeria among the teams that will make Africa proud on the global stage.

He named Lille’s player of the year Victor Osimhen, Nantes player of the year Moses Simon and Leicester City ace Wilfred Ndidi as part of the players that will make Nigeria a force in the future.

“ It’s normal to see African players in top teams and that is good for the rise of football on the continent. In the long run it will translate to dominance on the global scene if sustained “, he said in an interview monitored by Owngoalnigeria.com.

“ Nigeria have some interesting players coming through like Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and many more. They have always been a force in Africa and the talents coming through will make them better in the future”.

The search for a left full back who is left footed has become a priority for coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr.

Rohr is keen on providing competition for Jamilu Collins who need to be put on his toes as he is slowly growing complacent judging by the fact that he is the undisputed choice for now.

Santa Clara Zaidu Sanusi is presently the favorite to get the nod as Rohr have been impressed with his video footage and plan to send scouts to watch him live when football returns In Portugal.

Belarus based left back Stephen Bitok impressed Rohr at the U23 Cup of Nations and he hasn’t slowed down since teaming up with Isloch. He is presently viewed as one of the best player in Belarus.

However Rohr is skeptical of calling him up and he won’t waste any time in handing him a call up as soon as a he moves to a league better than where he is at the moment.

The name that was top of the list as at last year was Chima Okoroji who play for Jahn Regensburg on loan from SC Freiburg. However the left back who is also eligible for England and Germany has quite matched same height like last season.

From the trio mentioned , one will definitely get a call up when International football returns after the coronavirus crisis.

Ade Emmanuel

Gernot Rohr says he is excited with what on loan Liverpool player Ovie Ejaria Will bring to the Super Eagles following his decision to switch allegiance to Nigeria from England.

Ejaria has emerged as one of the standout player in the English Championship with back to back solid performances for Reading where he is on loan from Liverpool.

Rohr watched one of his games while in England and that convinced him on what the player will add to his team by the time his paper works on switch of allegiance is done.

“ We are looking for the best players who can make the Super Eagles a very good team. That’s our aim even though we are happy with what we have in the team at the moment. There’s always a spot for new players but you have to be able to bring something different “, Rohr told Owngoalnigeria.com.

“ Like Kingsley Ehizibue, Ejaria is one player we have followed closely and believe he will add something but we have to be patient for his papers to come thorny. He is a very interesting player “, Rohr concluded.

Hot in demand Nigeria international Moses Simon says he is totally in support of a call up to Heerenveen winger Chidera Ejuke.

Ejuke impressed last season in the Dutch Eredivisie with ten goals and six assists to his name and that has led to calls for the 22 year old to be handed a chance with the Super Eagles.

Simon who is equality a winger believe with the season Ejuke had at Heerenveen he should be given a chance to push for a spot in the Super Eagles when international football returns.

“ He had a very good season that is why everyone is talking about him. I believe any good player is welcome to the team as they will make us stronger. Somebody gave me a chance while I was playing in Belgium. So if the coaches feel they need him then they should call him up “, Simon told Owngoalnigeria.com.

He advised Ejuke to build on his solid season with another one next time out to further boost his chances of getting a look in with the Super Eagles.

“ One good season can be enough but sometimes you need to do more. He is young and versatile. Another good season will no doubt make it hard for the coaches to snub him”.

Osas Mahawi

Dutch giants Feyenoord have made taken the first step towards making a bid for former Enugu Rangers and Nigeria U20 ace Obinna Nwobodo, Owngoalnigeria.com understands.

Ujpest have not had the best of seasons but the Nigerian has stood out with consistent display despite the team not achieving as many would have expected this season.

Nwobodo has long been viewed as the best player at the club with his ability to impress from either flanks or through the middle attracting positive reviews the past three seasons .

His agent Stijn Vanlerberghe has also received inquires for the 23 year old who is prime for a move from Hungary to further enhance the potential that made him one of the best young players in Nigeria in 2015.

He was set to be a part of the Nigeria U20 team to the World Cup in New Zealand in 2015 but an injury picked up in the final match of the African Youth Championship which Nigeria won 1-0 by beating Senegal ruled him out of the tournament.

Daniel Martins 

Nigeria International forward Victor Osimhen has agreed a five year deal with Serie A giants Napoli after getting assurances that he will get regular playing time, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 21 year old has emerged as a target for the Serie A side after scoring 18 goals in his first season in France with Lille following his move form Charleroi in the summer.

Napoli assured him that they will be offloading their main striker Arkadiusz Milik in order to pave the way for Osimhen to be arrow head of their attack next season .

Already they have agreed an annual salary of €4 million after Lille accepted their offer of €60 million as transfer fee for the player they bought for €12 million last summer.

A recommendation from Osimhen’s former coach at Charleroi Felix Mazzu is believed to have convinced Napoli to splash big on him and in the process making him the most expensive Nigerian player ever.

Ex Charleroi coach Mazzu gambled on singing Osimhen on loan from Wolfsburg and under his guidance the Nigerian found his feet and scored 23 goals forcing the Belgium outfit to make his deal permanent and subsequently sold him to Lille.

Daniel Martins 

Nigeria will not make any move towards convincing Arsenal teen star Bukayo Saka to switch allegiance to the team according to coach of the team Gernot Rohr.
Saka is eligible to represent Nigeria as his parents are from the West African country but he is already a junior international for England hence will need a switch of allegiance process to be eligible for Nigeria.

His form this season has led to talks about a possible call up to the senior national team of England as he has excelled for Arsenal despite their struggles this season.

While speaking on what it takes to convince players born abroad to switch allegiance to the Super Eagles, Rohr said his approach is very straightforward as he is only focus on players who want to play for the team.

“ We have good players in several positions but we are still open to having more. For players who have already represented another country it’s not easy to have them cleared to play for Nigeria “, Rohr explained .

“ However we don’t beg any player. If they want to play they should call me to indicate their interest like Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina and Joe Aribo. It’s not the wise thing to beg them to play for Nigeria, we want players who are committed to making Nigerians happy “, he concluded.