Lazio have joined the race for Matteo Politano, who seems set to leave Napoli this summer after a difficult season.
The 28-year-old Italian winger struggled to impress in the Campania capital under Luciano Spalletti this campaign, netting three goals and providing four assists in 33 Serie A appearances. Politano often found himself relegated to the bench and he’s not interested in being a bit-part player anymore.
As reported by Il Mattino (via LazioNews24), Napoli are open to selling Politano this summer and a number of clubs have opened talks for the 28-year-old, including Lazio, Valencia, Milan and Fiorentina.
The Italian winger has already requested a move away from Naples this summer and it’s likely that his wish will eventually be granted, with Gennaro Gattuso’s Valencia currently the frontrunners.
Politano did jump the gun a little, however, and was burnt for this; he spoke about his future to SportItalia, telling them that he’d meet his agent and the club to discuss his future soon. He also joked about his enjoyment of Valencian Paella in this interview.
Napoli, in line with the club’s internal rules, will fine the 28-year-old for the unauthorised interview and they’re unimpressed with his comments.
Politano initially joined Napoli on an 18-month loan deal in January 2020 from Inter. His move was made permanent last summer for around €20 million, so it’s incredibly hard to imagine the Partenopei accepting anything less than this figure now.
Well he wouldn’t be a starter at Lazio either so …yeah not really a target is he