Napoli have no intention of cutting their captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, loose in the summer despite recent rumors suggesting otherwise. According to the club’s statement via Fabrizio Romano, the attacking-minded full-back remains central to their project ahead of an anticipated squad overhaul.
“Despite statements from his agent, Giovanni Di Lorenzo won’t be sold this summer,” the statement read. “He’s not part of the players we want to sell in the summer transfer window,” Napoli communicated through the official channels to quash speculation linking their skipper with an exit.
Di Lorenzo captained Napoli to their first Scudetto in 33 years in 2022/23. However, football is a cruel game. It doesn’t forgive failures. Napoli’s defending Serie A season has been an unmitigated disaster as they finished 10th in the standings, 41 points adrift of new champions Inter.
It didn’t take long before the fans started pointing fingers. Napoli shared the spoils with bottom-half Lecce in a scoreless home draw on the final weekend to relinquish their hopes of securing European qualification. And Di Lorenzo paid the price.
Heartbroken supporters booed their captain off the pitch as he was subbed off late in the second half. An unhealthy atmosphere at the Diego Maradona Stadium has led to rumors linking Di Lorenzo with a summer departure. But Napoli will not let that happen.
As Aurelio De Laurentiis prepares to announce Antonio Conte as a new Napoli manager, keeping hold of Di Lorenzo has emerged as one of the club’s priorities. Juventus have taken an interest in the Italy international, but they’ll probably have to look elsewhere to reinforce the right flank.
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