Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has moved to explain the reason why the Azzurri pulled out of the deal to sign Matteo Politano from Sassuolo.
The Stadio San Paolo outfit were eager to recruit Simone Verdi from Bologna, but the highly rated forward wasn’t keen on moving clubs midway through the season.
As a result, Napoli turned their attention towards Matteo Politano and seem to have agreed a deal worth €28 million in total.
“It’s like when you sit at the poker table and feel compelled to bet something, several hands later,” the President told Premium Sport.
“However, I eventually got tired and decided to throw this money away: I think it was money thrown out of the window because (Politano) isn’t as good as Verdi and can’t cover three positions like the Bologna player can.
“In any case, I received a message from [Sassuolo CEO] Carnevali telling me that they had agreed a two-year loan for €8m, with the other €20m to be paid over the next three years.”
The Serie A leaders eventually failed to reinforce the front line in the January transfer window and it remains to be seen whether that will end up costing them the league trophy.
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
