Lazio reportedly tried to price Napoli misfit Michael Folorunsho out of the Diego Maradona Stadium on the deadline day but to no avail. According to Alfredo Pedulla, the Biancocelesti approached the three-time Serie A champions with a ‘surreal’ last-ditch offer.
The idea was to sign the 26-year-old on loan with an option to buy. It’s needless to say, Napoli turned down the bid without flinching. Despite putting their fringe midfielder on the chopping block, Antonio Conte was never enthusiastic about letting him leave for peanuts.
Folorunsho graduated from the Lazio youth academy but failed to establish himself in the first team. He left the Stadio Olimpico in 2017 to join lower-league Virtus Francavilla. In 2018, the Italian star returned to the big picture, signing a long-term contract at Napoli.
However, he couldn’t land regular first-team action at the Maradona Stadium, resulting in his loan departure to Hellas Verona last summer. The move was a resounding success as Folorunsho developed into one of the best midfielders in Serie A, earning a place in Italy’s EURO 2024 squad.
Despite his rise to stardom at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, he’s still out of the Napoli project. It led Lazio to believe they could lure him to the capital without a substantial financial sacrifice, but the Partenopei refused their late approach.
Lazio might have failed to sign Folorunsho, but they brought Samuel Gigot from Olympique Marseille on Friday. Meanwhile, Nicolo Casale and Danilo Cataldi left the club to join Bologna and Fiorentina, respectively.
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