From revolution to downsizing, Napoli’s technical future risks becoming quite complicated after this unfortunate post-Scudetto season. The goal is to always remain at the top, because Aurelio De Laurentiis is an entrepreneur who loves to travel first class, always among the best. And he was the first to recognize his mistakes in the summer, putting his face to it in a press conference at the end of December, after a disappointing home draw with Monza. Except that he didn’t react to his words with deeds: the January transfer window was also a flop and now his Napoli dramatically risks being left out of any European competition for next season. And it would be the first time after fourteen years, sensationally the year after the championship masterpiece. But given the lack of revenue from the Champions League, which is increasingly richer thanks to the new format, this new Italian dimension risks heavily influencing the strategies for Napoli’s signing campaign in the search for the new centre-forward, the man who will have to quickly bring Napoli back into the championship. the elite of European football. Because replacing Victor Osimhen without the appeal that participation in the top European competition can give will not be an easy task. And the treasure that Napoli will have at their disposal may not be enough to reach the first objectives on the list.
unattainable top
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Napoli has been working for some time on Jonathan David and Santiago Gimenez, protagonists of two extraordinary seasons with Lille and Feyenoord. David has been the preferred solution since last summer, when Victor’s stomach aches – and the renewal that never arrived – had pushed the club to look for a solution in the event of a farewell. David was available and enthusiastic about the Napoli hypothesis and waited for the blue club all summer. Then he made himself available to Lille again, scoring repeatedly: 17 goals in Ligue 1, 3 in the Conference and one in the play-off for the Europa League. His value has remained unchanged, despite a contract expiring in 2025 which he has no intention of renewing: 50 million is needed and there is already a queue in the Premier League to please Lille. Faced with this scenario, it is difficult for the Canadian to choose Naples without Europe. And the same goes for Gimenez, 23 goals in 30 Dutch league games, plus two in the Champions League and one in the Europa League. The Mexican has shown off, is worth at least 60 million and wants to play in the Champions League: barring any surprises, Napoli are out of the running.
the lukaku hypothesis
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Of course, 120-130 million will arrive from the sale of Osimhen and many will be reinvested right at the tip, but at the moment Napoli is running away from 9, at least those who on paper could make Victor’s farewell less burdensome. That he would prefer Chelsea to PSG, but here too the future is still to be clarified. What is certain is that Chelsea would also like to include Romelu Lukaku’s contract in the package for the Nigerian, to definitively close the complicated relationship with the Belgian. Romelu makes the difference in Italy, but age and salary are not in line with Napoli’s parameters. It remains a hypothesis, we’ll see how feasible it is. Chelsea would certainly provide De Laurentiis with a real centre-forward, already tested in Serie A and with excellent results.
in the viewfinder
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Today in the front row for Napoli is Artem Dovbyk, the Ukrainian protagonist of the Girona fairytale: he costs around 30 million, has an affordable salary and would be happy to live the Italian experience. But even here the contraindication remains: the prospect of becoming the face of the new Italian cycle will be enough to convince Dovbyk to give up his first Champions League title as a protagonist, after having enjoyed it years ago with Dnipro, in two qualifying matches – with a goal – and not having any ever taken part? Napoli’s appeal has collapsed after this black year, there’s no denying it. But it remains the club that won a championship in Italy just twelve months ago and boasts fans all over the world. And then do you want to play for Maradona? Here, the charm of the stadium is a strong attraction, however, for Mateo Retegui, who will compete in the European Championship in the summer and dreams of making the jump to a big club after the good season at Genoa. Retegui is an intriguing idea that could also turn into a solution, it will depend on the evolution of the market. But Napoli wants to aim for the most important names first: a blow to Osimhen, so to speak, to re-inflame the square.
