OH Leuven sign Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi from Salernitana

• Ikwuemesi quits Italy's Salernitana for Belgium's OH Leuven
• The youngster has signed a three-year contract
• He will wear the number 19 jersey

Oud-Heverlee Leuven have completed the signing of Nigerian striker, Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi from Italian club US Salernitana.

The 22-year-old attacker joins the Belgian Pro League side on a three-year contract, with OH Leuven reportedly paying 1.8 million euros for his transfer.

Additionally, OH Leuven will provide Salernitana with 10% of any future transfer fee for Ikwuemesi, who previously played for NK Celje.

Ikwuemesi expressed his excitement about the move, saying, “OH Leuven is the right club for me. I will give everything for this shirt because I felt welcome here right away. The people within the club give me a lot of confidence, so I want to repay them with victories and goals.”

He will wear the number 19 jersey at his new club, having worn the number 22 at Salernitana.

Ikwuemesi joined Salernitana last summer from Slovenian PrvaLiga side NK Celje, where he had an impressive spell, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in 37 appearances.

However, his stint at Salernitana was less fruitful, with just three goals and two assists in 27 games. Salernitana, who returned to Serie A in 2021 after a 23-season absence, finished at the bottom of the table and were relegated to the second division.

Despite having three years left on his contract, Ikwuemesi opted for a new challenge with OH Leuven. Before his time in Italy and Slovenia, Ikwuemesi played for Austria's Vorwärts Steyr and is a product of Nigeria's Giant Brillars and Olive Charles Academy.