Manchester United sent Rasmus Hojlund on loan to Napoli earlier this summer.
The deal includes a conditional obligation to make the transfer permanent for £38 million next summer, should Napoli qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
The reigning Serie A champions started the campaign on fire, but their blistering momentum has cooled dramatically over the past month.
Manager Antonio Conte has struggled to weave his trademark attacking magic, with Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne both sidelined through injury.
Hojlund is their current first-choice striker, but the 22-year-old has failed to find the net for the club since October 5.
He could have scored a late winning goal in the European clash against Eintracht Frankfurt, but he fired straight at the goalkeeper.
Napoli’s season hit a new low when they suffered a shocking 2-0 defeat to Bologna on Sunday.
Hojlund was one of the worst performers on the pitch as he failed to test the goalkeeper even once. He did not complete a single pass and lost possession on 12 occasions.
The 22-year-old lost more duels than any other player (13) in the game, further highlighting his inability to hold up the ball and compete with physically strong centre-backs.
This defeat drops Napoli down to fourth spot. The Italian league has been very competitive this term, with only six points separating the top seven teams.
Conte now faces the challenge of reigniting Napoli’s title defence after the November international break, and getting his misfiring striker back on track could be the key.
Stats from Sofascore.com