As Europe’s summer transfer window heats up, the chill of uncertainty grips a host of Nigeria’s established internationals. While some players are in pre-season with clear futures, others are caught in a vortex of rejection, contract limbo, and fading interest. PUNCH Sports Extra profiles eight such players

Kelechi Iheanacho

Kelechi Iheanacho’s La Liga adventure has unravelled faster than a poorly stitched shirt. After joining Sevilla last summer on the back of Leicester City’s promotion, hopes were high. But with just one league goal in eleven appearances, the gamble by former director Victor Orta has been deemed a mistake.

Loaned out to Middlesbrough in January, the 28-year-old did little to silence critics with one goal and two assists in 15 Championship appearances. Now back at Sevilla, Iheanacho has been told by the club’s hierarchy that he may not feature in new boss Matías Almeyda’s plans.

Despite a contract running till 2026, the 2013 U-17 World Cup Golden Ball winner is in no-man’s-land. Almeyda will assess him in pre-season, but few expect a turnaround. A shadow of the “Nigerian wonderkid” once tipped for greatness at Manchester City, Iheanacho must now fight to revive a floundering career before the window shuts.

Samuel Chukwueze

Chukwueze’s €20m switch from Villarreal to AC Milan was meant to ignite a new chapter. Instead, it’s ending with him being offered to clubs in Turkey.

The 26-year-old winger managed just eight goals in 69 games across all competitions in what saw flashes of brilliance, but mostly underwhelming. New Rossoneri boss Massimiliano Allegri has declared him surplus to requirements.

Real Betis have shown interest, and his agents have floated him to Besiktas and Fenerbahce. But with his stock lower than ever and a bloated wage demand, Chukwueze may find that escaping San Siro is more difficult than he imagined.

Umar Sadiq

Sadiq enjoyed a mini-revival at Valencia on loan last season, scoring five goals in 16 games and helping them avoid relegation. He even picked up the club’s Goal of the Season award.

Yet, the 28-year-old remains unwanted at parent club Real Sociedad, where his €20m transfer in 2022 has become a burden. Knee injuries and tactical mismatches have derailed his progress.

Despite being instructed to return for pre-season training, Sociedad have no long-term plans for him. Turkish giants Beşiktaş are circling, but negotiations are slow. Until an exit is secured, Sadiq is effectively a ghost in San Sebastián.

Bright Osayi-Samuel

Once a mainstay at Fenerbahce, Osayi-Samuel now finds himself clubless. The 27-year-old rejected an extension and was set to sign with Besiktas, only for talks to collapse due to his father’s last-minute demand for additional bonuses.

The defender had clocked 39 appearances across all competitions last season but registered no goals and just two assists. Now a free agent, Osayi-Samuel must either compromise on his demands or risk drifting without a team, a dangerous position with the new season just weeks away.

Zaidu Sanusi

FC Porto’s post-Club World Cup clear-out has claimed Nigerian left-back Sanusi. The 26-year-old has barely featured over the past 18 months due to a serious ACL injury.

Despite having two years left on his contract, Zaidu is one of nine players shown the exit door by new coach Martin Anselmi. Porto’s plan is to offload him quickly and recoup funds for summer reinforcements.

Clubs have been alerted, but Zaidu’s fitness and lack of match sharpness have made him a hard sell. For now, the full-back remains in limbo, praying for a lifeline before pre-season camps end.

Cyriel Dessers

Dessers finished as Rangers’ top scorer last season with 18 goals, yet his future at Ibrox is hanging by a thread. The Scottish side are desperate to sell before bringing in replacements, with Greek giants AEK Athens and Feyenoord linked.

But complications have piled up. AEK’s coach now says he isn’t pursuing a forward, and Rangers are holding firm until they secure a deal for Israeli striker Dor Turgeman.

Dessers is due back for pre-season, but uncertainty remains. Rangers’ new manager Russell Martin says he’s keen to assess the Nigerian, but club insiders believe a sale is still the goal. For Dessers, time is ticking, and the window is narrowing.

Frank Onyeka

Onyeka spent last season on loan at Augsburg, and while he clocked regular minutes in the Bundesliga, his long-term future is far from secure.

Brentford recently had a managerial change following Thomas Frank’s exit to Tottenham that saw them replacing him with Keith Andrews, and Onyeka, who has a year left on his deal, is unsure whether he’s wanted by the Irish.

The Nigerian midfielder has attracted interest from Burnley, Stuttgart, and Fiorentina, but no formal bids have materialised. His fate now hinges on Andrews. Until then, the 27-year-old must wait, and possibly train in uncertainty, unsure whether he’s coming or going.

Chuba Akpom

Akpom’s situation is arguably the most bizarre of the lot. The Ajax striker has been exiled via WhatsApp and instructed not to show up at the club’s facilities until after the first team has finished training.

He’s also been stripped of parking rights and told to share a lone physiotherapist with six other exiled players after claims that he’s not fitting into new boss John Heitinga’s plans, and failing to impress on loan at Lille.

Akpom, who joined Ajax from Middlesbrough for £10.5m just last year, now finds himself persona non grata. His agents are working hard behind the scenes, but a resolution is still pending. Once tipped to lead Nigeria’s frontline, he now faces the ignominy of being cut off from even training grounds.