Cardi B and Maduka Okoye were spotted together, once again, which comes after his baby mama blasted him on her Instagram page.
The pair enjoyed a dinner outing with friends at Gio’s restaurant, located inside The St. Regis Venice. This outing follows another collab from the pair, who first sparked dating rumors after they were after they spent time together during Paris Fashion Week earlier this month.
Cardi, 33, wore a turquoise dress while sitting next to the 26-year-old goalkeeper at a table overlooking one of Venice’s famous canals. Several other men joined them for the meal, so it wasn’t exactly an intimate dinner for two.
According to reports from TMZ, the stars didn’t show any PDA during the evening, but they appeared relaxed and comfortable in each other’s company. A source watching fireworks from the hotel reportedly spotted the group shortly after their food was served.
Their latest outing comes just weeks after fans began speculating about a possible romance when Cardi and Okoye were seen together at Paris Fashion Week. In a clip that quickly made the rounds online, the Udinese goalkeeper was seen helping the rapper get settled into her seat before taking the spot beside her.
Neither Cardi nor Okoye has addressed the rumors, and there’s been no indication that their relationship extends beyond friendship. Still, the repeated public appearances have continued to fuel speculation among fans.
Okoye currently plays for Italian Serie A club Udinese and has represented Nigeria on the international stage. But, he has a history of turmoil in his personal life, with the mother of his child recently blasting him online.
Okoye’s ex, Jelicia Westhoff, took to Instagram over the weekend to call out the father of her child, insisting he’s not taking care of their toddler.
“Imagine i shut my f***ing mouth, Lied about what YOU did to me, so you Could continue YOUR career and all you do is embarrasing [sic] US,” the model wrote and later deleted, according to screenshots shared online. “YOU make me look like im a bitter Baby mother when i helped you when NO one was there for you!!! … YOU DONT TAKE CARE OF YOUR 1 and only SON! BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO BE WITH YOU I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU.”
Westhoff went on to claim that Okoye doesn’t call or see their son, Isaiah Emil Jr. Okoye, because he is too “busy punishing his mother and being a baddie on social media.”
She even claimed that the soccer star didn’t visit their 3-year-old when he was hospitalized in December.
“MY son got hospitalized 4 times, ON the intensive care, with an ambulance!!!” she wrote. “his FATHER Didnt even [come]! [tell me] Which father doesn’t [go] to his child when your child is fighting for his life? Explain this to me?? Cause you Cant be with the mother???”
Westhoff also claimed that her ex cheated on her with both men and women and allegedly physically abused her, an allegation she’s publicly made in the past.
In an exclusive statement to Page Six, Westhoff said she has “nothing against” Cardi, but simply wants help raising their child.
“[It’s] about you going out with any woman in public knowing that you don’t take care of your child,” she told the outlet.
