Neapolitan legend Lorenzo Insigne has been in a long-standing renewal row with the club and president De Laurentiis.
With his contract expiring in June 2022 – at the end of the current season – he has about two weeks left before the January winter transfer window opens, before which a contract deal looks very unlikely to materialize between the player and the club.
His impending free agent status is of great concern to a Napoli side that look very well in contention for the Scudetto title this season, sitting just few points off league leaders Inter.
His agent Vincenzo Pisacane has now come forward in an exclusive interview with Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, in a bid to clear the air surrounding his client.
We can’t say (what happens next), in football everything can change in ten minutes. I won’t have contact with anyone until January. On this I am very firm: from the 2nd, then, everything will change,” he explained regarding Insigne’s soon-to-be free agent status and the eyes of top clubs on him.
Napoli have offered the EURO 2020 winner a four-year package deal of €3.5m net per season, whereas the forward himself feels undervalued and demands a salary in the range of €5m – something that Pisacane believes Insigne would accept.
“He (De Laurentiis) says what he deems most appropriate, but we should ask what the offer was and why the player refused. I prefer to avoid figures and details, but we do not think the proposal is appropriate,” the agent commented.
When quizzed on the current standing of the captain and the club, Pisacane provided a diplomatic answer, passing the ball to the club president for further query.
He said: “Right now, for the times, Napoli and Insigne are quite far away. But everything can change. Eventually, we will come to terms with it. The ball is in the president’s court. It has never been in our hands.”
However, he was quite sure of the positive relationship between the two parties.
“The story between Napoli and Insigne will never end even if he goes to play elsewhere. There is too much life, too much love. But out of respect for the player and everyone, we can’t wait forever, we can’t wait until June,” he said.
Insigne has 414 appearances for the Partenopei in his 11 seasons at the club, scoring 114 goals in the process.