It’s been less than a fortnight since the curtain dropped on the summer transfer window in Italy, yet Napoli remain preoccupied with off-field commitments. As per Calciomercato, tying down their elite stars to new long-term contracts is at the forefront of Aurelio De Laurentiis’ mind heading to the winter.
Besides Luciano Spalletti’s farewell, Napoli lost two more significant components from their Scudetto-winning campaign last term. Kim Min-jae left the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after just one season to link up with Bayern Munich. In a less painful deal, Hirving Lozano returned to PSV Eindhoven.
What made De Laurentiis particularly proud of his summer dealings was fending off numerous high-profile suitors for Victor Osimhen. Courted by several Premier League clubs and some loaded Saudi Pro League sides, last season’s Capocannoniere award winner turned down lucrative approaches to pledge his future to Napoli.
De Laurentiis is keen to reward his talismanic striker with an improved new contract, and he wants that done by the New Year. Osimhen is the club’s highest earner, but Napoli won’t be taking any chances going into the summer transfer window. They want the deal wrapped up by then.
The same goes for Piotr Zielinski. The Polish midfielder looked a step away from terminating his long-term association with Napoli in the transfer window just finished. However, he has stayed put and is now eager to commit to a new contract.
Last but not least, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deserves a bumper new deal, considering he is among the lowest-paid players in Naples.
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