Serie A strugglers Napoli are on the verge of offloading underperforming defender Natan on loan to Real Betis. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Andalusian club will pay under €1 million to take the Brazilian on a season-long loan, with the player already on his way to Spain to undergo medicals.
Betis will also have an option to buy the Napoli flop outright at the end of the 2024/25 season. The Spaniards would need to fork out an additional €7-8m to make the move permanent in 12 months. However, it’s up to Natan to showcase his worth and reignite his faltering career following a dismal season at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
Napoli signed Natan from RB Bragantino last summer in a desperate hope to fill the void left by Kim Min-jae’s big-money switch to Bayern Munich. The former Serie A champions splashed out around €10m to bring the 23-year-old to Italy. Yet, the move hasn’t panned out as expected, with Natan performing well below expectations last term.
Hampered by a nasty shoulder injury and notorious problems with inconsistent performances, Natan stringed together only 23 appearances for Napoli in 2023/24. Despite his problematic first year in Italy, several Serie A clubs, including Hellas Verona and Empoli, had approached the Partenopei to gather information about Natan.
But, the player has chosen to pursue his development in La Liga. As for Napoli, they can afford to cut the young center-back loose after acquiring the services of Alessandro Buongiorno and Rafa Marin earlier in the summer.
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