Jelicia Westhoff, the mother of Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye's child, is reportedly preparing to take legal action over alleged fake Instagram direct messages circulating online.

According to a source close to Westhoff, she has consulted lawyers after a woman shared screenshots purportedly showing a private conversation between the two.

The alleged messages appeared to show Westhoff denying that Okoye had ever abused her, seemingly contradicting previous social media posts in which she accused the footballer of infidelity and abuse.

However, the source told TMZ that Westhoff did exchange messages with the woman in August but insisted that she never denied being abused.

According to the source, the woman claimed she had slept with Okoye and wanted to know whether the goalkeeper was still in a relationship with Westhoff because he had stopped responding to her messages.

The source maintained that the conversation ended at that point and strongly denied the authenticity of the screenshots currently circulating online.

The controversy comes amid increased attention on Okoye's personal life following his recent appearances with American rapper Cardi B, including during Paris Fashion Week. The pair had also previously been spotted together in Venice.

Cardi B appeared to address the ongoing drama earlier in the week, signalling that she was not concerned about the situation.

Okoye and Westhoff share a son together.