Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed he will sit down with Gennaro Gattuso in August to evaluate and possibly extend of his current deal.
Gattuso replaced Carlo Ancelotti in December and the President expected a longer transition period than the former midfielder needed at the San Paolo.
During a difficult first half of the season, De Laurentiis admitted he had immediately contacted Gattuso and told him to not go anywhere.
Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed he will sit down with Gennaro Gattuso in August to evaluate and possibly extend of his current deal.
Gattuso replaced Carlo Ancelotti in December and the President expected a longer transition period than the former midfielder needed at the San Paolo.
During a difficult first half of the season, De Laurentiis admitted he had immediately contacted Gattuso and told him to not go anywhere.
“I had called him three years ago with Totti, I had thought of making a film with the two of them,” De Laurentiis told the Corriere dello Sport. “Rino reminded me the other night, after the match against Inter.
“We met again at Ancelotti’s birthday, from Mammà to Capri. A table of 40 metres, Carlo had invited the whole world. Friends, former players, it seemed like a wedding, me and Carlo sat on the sides.
“Rino was sitting next to him. I had imagined him different, I discovered a great speaker, very present and able to deal with most topics.
“We talked for three hours of the night. After the retreat-non-retreat problem I called him and said: ‘Rino, stay calm, don’t make any decisions if someone calls you, stay still’.
“On the evening of the Champions League match, when we won, I invited Carlo to dinner and explained that I had decided to change, also to maintain the great friendship between us.
“Naples is the best part of my life. I love only two cities, my two places, there are no other places. Naples and Los Angeles.
“I have just decided to rent a villa in Capri and transfer my offices of Filmauro, the cinema and football there.
“The team had forgotten Sarri’s 4-3-3, I asked Rino to revise that formation, anticipating that the price to pay would be three, four defeats in a row. He lost less than that.
“Carlo, like my father, was the ambassador, Rino and I are very similar, two warriors, who don’t send them to talk, two leaders.”
De Laurentiis has revealed that he will meet with Gattuso in August to evaluate the season and discuss the future with the former Milan coach.
“I gave him a one-and-a-half-year contract, where both had an escape route,” he said. “We didn’t need to use it. If we do well in the Coppa Italia and in the Champions League, climb some places in the championship, I will meet him at the beginning of August in Capri, where we could talk about an extension of three or four seasons.
“Carlo Verdone has been with me for 20 years, exclusively. Among people who estimate contracts, they have a relative value. The motivation and incentives count, everyone must be free to decide whether to continue or not.”