Sassuolo midfielder Maxime Lopez confirms ‘the time has come’ to move on and hints his next destination will be Scudetto-winners Napoli or a reunion with Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton.
The 25-year-old first joined the Neroverdi from Olympique Marseille on loan in 2020 and made the move permanent a year later for €2.5m.
His value on the market has since climbed and he is under contract until June 2025, but feels the moment has come to try new experiences.
“I am very happy in Italy, I love this country, I speak Italian, there are big clubs and if I can join one of them, that would be the maximum,” Lopez told Le Media Carre in France.
“I had three seasons at Sassuolo and already spoke to them about my future. I thanked them, because in a certain sense they relaunched my career and allowed me to show what I can do, but the time has come to aim higher.”
When it comes to his next destination, Napoli are the rumoured favourites and his comments do nothing to lower those expectations, while Fiorentina have also been linked with a potential bid.
“I would really like a club in the south of Italy, one that could remind me of Marseille. There is also the Premier League and I know that if De Zerbi called me for Brighton, we could talk about it seriously.
“I thought a few times about a return to Marseille, and it would be nice, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to take a step backwards like that.”
Napoli are reported to be discussing a transfer with Sassuolo in the region of €10-15m.
De Zerbi worked with Lopez at Sassuolo and they had 30 games together, in which the midfielder scored two goals.
The coach is now finding success in the Premier League at Brighton and Hove Albion.