Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has denied insinuations that the club considered signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, “Never thought of him”.

Ancelotti has claimed that the club never considered a summer move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

Los Blancos were said to be scouring the market for a new number nine this summer following the shock departure of Karim Benzema to Al Ittihad.

The likes of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe were the most prominently linked with the club, but Osimhen’s name was also mentioned as a possible target for the Spanish capital club.

After all, the Nigerian international had enjoyed a stunning campaign last time out, helping Napoli win the Serie A title.

Osimhen finished the 2022/23 campaign with 31 goals in 39 matches across all competitions and has started the new season strongly as well, bagging two goals in the Partenopei’s first Serie A match of the season.

During the interview, Ancelotti, who had a stint as the manager of Napoli, was asked about Osimhen and his links with Real Madrid.

In response, the 64-year-old tactician claimed that Los Blancos never thought about a move for the 24-year-old striker, although he did praise the Napoli and Nigeria forward.

“Osimhen is one of the strongest strikers in Europe, but we never thought of him. With the arrival of Bellingham, we thought of making up for Benzema’s farewell in other ways,” Ancelotti said.

As the Real Madrid boss mentioned, the team have found a new way to cope with the departure of Benzema, with Ancelotti switching to a 4-4-2 diamond setup.

As part of the formation, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes operate more centrally, while new signing Jude Bellingham also finds himself in very advanced areas on the pitch.

The England international has already scored three goals in two games in La Liga so far and is leading the goalscoring charts.

Reports suggest that Ancelotti has been thinking about moving the 20-year-old sensation in the role of a number nine, pushing him further up the pitch.