Aurelio De Laurentiis insists José Mourinho has ‘nothing to do’ with Napoli and confirms Victor Osimhen will leave the Stadio Maradona joining Real Madrid, PSG or a Premier League club at the end of the season: ‘We’ve known since last summer.’
The President of Partenopei spoke to Italian reporters on Monday.
Firstly, he denied that Mourinho would replace Walter Mazzarri at the end of the season amid reports of a meeting between him and the Special One’s agent Jorge Mendes.
“Mourinho has nothing to do with Napoli. He is a very funny and impulsive coach, but I feel his destiny lies outside Italy. Surely not at Napoli,” said ADL as quoted by Sport Mediaset.
Another hot issue at the Stadio Maradona is Osimhen’s future especially after the Nigeria striker admitted he had already made a decision about his future for next season.
“We’ve known it since last summer; otherwise, the negotiation to extend would not have been so long. We already knew he would join Real Madrid, PSG or a Premier League club,” said De Laurentiis.
Osimhen has recently signed a contract extension until June 2026, but his new deal includes a release clause in the region of €120-130m.
Piotr Zielinski is also expected to leave Napoli, but the Poland international will depart at the end of his contract in June, probably joining Inter on a free transfer.
“Some love stories just end. If he wants to stay, we are here to hug him, but if he wants to leave because his agent smells money, then perhaps he has already convinced the lad and his family,” said ADL.
“I only say that Zielinski is earning more than what I read he’d get at Inter. I’ve told Beppe Marotta he is not behaving well. I said it with a smile, and he replied by smiling too, saying: ‘It’s not true, it’s not true…'”