Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo is seemingly hellbent on leaving the club in the coming months despite Antonio Conte’s best efforts to convince him to stay. Page 18 of today’s Corriere dello Sport details how the 30-year-old called the new Partenopei boss to reiterate his decision to embark on a new challenge elsewhere.
Di Lorenzo reportedly reached out to Conte shortly after his embarrassing performance in Italy’s Euro 2024 loss to Spain to inform him he’s determined to cut ties with Napoli. Though the ex-Inter and Juventus manager sees the right-back as a vital part of his project, he’ll probably need to replace his skipper.
With Di Lorenzo on his way out, Napoli have set their sights on outgoing Roma wingback Leonardo Spinazzola. Talks with Italy’s Euro 2020 hero should kick off next week, with Conte looking to fulfill his long-term desire of working with the 31-year-old. He was desperate to sign him at Inter and Tottenham, but the Giallorossi were reluctant to sell.
As for Di Lorenzo, he’s not having a great tournament. The Napoli defender was one of Luciano Spalletti’s weakest performers against Spain and will probably move to the bench when the reigning European champions take on Croatia in a pivotal Group B showdown on Monday.
But despite his sub-par showings in Germany, Di Lorenzo could still swap Napoli for Juventus this summer. New Bianconeri boss Thiago Motta admires the former Empoli defender’s services and wants to bring him to Turin to address Juve’s long-term problems at right-back.
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