Napoli Take Decisive Steps On Two Of Their Players As Barcelona Advance For Lobotka
Written By Onyeka Daniel
It hasn’t gone really well for Serie A defending champions, Napoli this season as the Partenopei have found themselves outside of an European placing, with 9 games to go.
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And apart from the prospect of not playing in Europe next season, they’re also set to lose some important players at the end of the season. Victor Osimhen’s exit has been confirmed by the club president with the English Premier League rumored to be his preferred destination.
Piotr Zielinski is also set to join Inter Milan as a free agent and now, the club from Naples are set to return Leander Dendoncker to Aston Villa without activating the €9m option to buy, while Alex Meret’s clause has activated.
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The Partenopei brought In Dendoncker in the January transfer window on a six-month loan with an option to buy at the end of the season for €9m. He turns 29 next month, but made only three Serie A appearances for Napoli for a grand total of 21 minutes on the field.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Napoli have decided not to activate the option to buy for €9m. Meanwhile, Napoli have activated the clause to extend goalkeeper Meret’s contract to June 2025.
However, he will now have to negotiate a new deal with increased raise or be set for an exit in the summer to avoid the risk of leaving as a free agent. The Partenopei have already fallen into that trap with Zielinski, and with some Serie A clubs expected to be in the hunt for a goalkeeper in the summer, the club will look to agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile…
Barcelona President Joan Laporta has recently confirmed that the club have been in contact with the representative of Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, adding to the recent comments made by the agent himself.
Branislav Jarusek, Lobotka’s agent, recently confirmed that he has spoken to Barca director Deco and coach Xavi over a potential switch from Campania to Catalonia. Laporta, has since confirmed the club’s interest in signing the 2022-23 Scudetto winner from Napoli.
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“We talked about it with Deco, Barcelona would like to take him, but a lot of other things need to happen first,” Laporta said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. Earlier this week, Jarusek revealed: “He (Lobotka) is 30, so if he gets an irresistible offer, we’ll discuss it with the club.”
Lobotka’s agent also claimed that the Partenopei midfielder had received lucrative contract offers from Saudi Arabia in January, but his desire is to stay in Europe and play in the Champions League.
Lobotka, who joined Napoli from LaLiga side Celta Vigo in 2020, has a contract in Naples until the summer of 2027, although Napoli do still have an option to extend that deal by a further year.
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