How Long Is Romelu Lukaku Out For? Napoli Hunt For New Talisman As Belgian Set To Miss Extended Period Of Time

Napoli are reportedly considering a move for a new striker as Romelu Lukaku is set to miss the start of the Serie A season following an injury in pre-season.

How Long Will Romelu Lukaku Miss Through Injury?

The Belgian international was handed a major blow ahead of the 2025/26 Serie A campaign, as Lukaku suffered a strain to his left thigh muscle during Napoli’s pre-season clash against Olympiacos.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the 32-year-old is set to miss the next three-months and is not likely to feature until the Christmas period following his injury.

Lukaku was set to lead the line at Napoli once again after his impressive performance during the clubs’ Scudetto winning season last year, as the former Chelsea star contributed to 25 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions (14G + 11A).

The friendly encounter against Olympiacos did not live up to its name, with Lukaku suffering an injury and Antonio Conte losing his cool after Amir Rrahmani was on the receiving end of a crunching tackle.

Being deal such a major blow ahead of the new season is not what Napoli would have been looking for, especially as the Naples-based side take on Sassuolo for their opening league game on August 23rd.

Napoli picked up their fourth Serie A title last season after edging out Inter Milan by just a singular point and Conte’s side have added some firepower to their ranks this summer.

Kevin De Bruyne, Noa Lang and Sam Beukema are among the major additions, however, the Italian side are reportedly looking to go back into the transfer market following Lukaku’s injury issues.

🚨⚠️ Napoli are back on the market for new striker as reported yesterday, due to serious injury for Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian striker suffered muscle injury and won’t be available for the next three months at least. 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/fx5dWKYMg4

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 18, 2025

Are Napoli Looking For A Lukaku Replacement?

According to transfer specialists, Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli are said to be on the hunt for a new talisman up top to fill Lukaku’s boots, after selling Victor Osimhen, Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori.

The former was one of the biggest talking points of this summer transfer window, with multiple clubs looking to land the Nigerian goalscorer, but it was Galatasaray that managed to complete a deal.

Simeone has joined Torino on loan for the upcoming season, while Raspadori signed for Atletico Madrid and became the latest striker to lead the line under Diego Simeone.

An exact target has not been identified but there are multiple strikers available, especially in Italy with Moise Kean attracting interest from Newcastle United amid Alexander Isak’s exit rumors.

The Fiorentina striker ended last season as the second-highest scorer in Serie A, scoring 19 goals for La Viola and had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United before the Red Devils signed Benjamin Sesko.

Another possible option for Antonio Conte is wantaway Juventus star, Dusan Vlahovic, as Igor Tudor is not planning on using the Serbian striker on a consistent basis.

Napoli will have to offer around $25-30 million for the Juve star and any deal for Moise Kean could cost over $70m, which may be too steep for the Serie A champions.