Napoli director Mauro Meluso is confident they will ‘fight it out in a balanced tie’ with Barcelona in the Champions League, while ‘both parties’ are eager to get Victor Osimhen’s contract sorted.
The Partenopei are in action this evening with Frosinone for the Coppa Italia Round of 16 and discovered in the draw they will face Barcelona in the Champions League in February.
“Napoli are an important club on the European panorama and I think Barcelona were a little disappointed to pick us in the draw too,” director of sport Meluso told Mediaset.
“This is no longer a team that is afraid when facing a top club. We are a solid side, with important players, and I think we will fight it out in a balanced tie. Barcelona are a great squad with high-level players, but I believe Napoli can have our say too.”
Their qualification had seemed in doubt before Rudi Garcia was fired to make way for Walter Mazzarri, who seems to have turned things around, albeit with a very difficult fixture list.
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“He arrived during the break for international duty, so did not have much time to work with the players. He still made an immediate impact, both tactically and psychologically. We are very happy with his work.
“We did well against Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter, even if we lost those games, as the team reacted very well to his suggestions.”
The news all Napoli fans are waiting for is the announcement that Osimhen has extended his contract with the club, although the likely presence of a release clause set at €130-140m is still not going to be any guarantee he won’t be sold.
“We are accustomed to working behind the scenes and without big announcements before things are done. It will obviously be up to President Aurelio De Laurentiis to give the news.
“It has been a long negotiation process and we hope to conclude it, but only make announcements when everything is sealed. Both parties are eager to get this deal closed and we’ll see what happens over the next few weeks.”
If the clause is going to be worth €140m, that is still well within the potential budget for clubs interested in Osimhen, such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.