Latest news with #AurelioDeLaurentiis
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Osimhen sets deadline for Juventus transfer
La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Victor Osimhen remains Juventus' top priority target in attack, but the Old Lady must first sell Dusan Vlahovic and then convince Napoli to sell the Nigerian star, possibly before mid-July. Napoli-owned striker Osimhen remains Juventus' transfer priority in attack, but the Bianconeri must overcome a few obstacles to get the deal done. Juventus must wait for Osimhen deal Victor Osimhen Galatasaray (Photo by) The Nigerian international has already rejected a €30m-a-year offer from Al-Hilal, and according to Gazzetta, he's open to continuing his career in Serie A in 2025-26. Advertisement Juventus remain one of the clubs interested, even after the departure of Cristiano Giuntoli and the appointment of Damien Comolli as their new General Manager. Toulouse President Damien Comolli, linked with Juventus. Osimhen has a €75m clause in his Napoli contract, but it's not valid for Serie A clubs. This means Juventus would need to negotiate a transfer fee with Aurelio De Laurentiis, the Partenopei President. Another obstacle arises from Vlahovic, who is unwilling to join Fenerbahce and is waiting for offers from top European clubs, with just a year left on his contract at the Allianz Stadium. Osimhen sets transfer deadline for Juventus ISTANBUL, TURKEY – FEBRUARY 23: Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray gestures during the Turkish Super League match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce at Rams Park Stadium on February 23, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by) According to Gazzetta, and contrary to other reports in April, Osimhen is still open to joining Juventus, but won't wait too long to pick a new club. The Nigerian will likely wait until mid-July before deciding on his next destination. Advertisement The pink paper claims that Galatasaray still hope to sign Osimhen permanently, but Al-Hilal remain interested as well, just like PSG and some Premier League clubs. Source: Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, June 21, 2025, page six.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Conte requested Hudson-Odoi for Napoli after Chelsea spell
Antonio Conte specifically requested Nottingham Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi for Napoli, having worked with him at Chelsea. It is no secret that the Partenopei are trying to reinforce the flanks after selling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain in January with no real replacement. Advertisement Now that they are the reigning Champions of Italy and in the Champions League, they need more strength in depth. Conte is fully involved in the transfer strategy and has made a list for President Aurelio De Laurentiis, including Hudson-Odoi, as per Sportitalia reporter Michele Criscitiello. Hudson-Odoi not new to Serie A interest NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Nuno Espirito Santo, Manager of Nottingham Forest, celebrates with Callum Hudson-Odoi of Nottingham Forest following the team's victory in the penalty shoot out during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town at City Ground on March 03, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by) The 24-year-old has three senior caps for England and can play in a variety of roles, mainly the left wing, but also the right or in a deeper position if required. He made 36 competitive appearances for Nottingham Forest this season, contributing five goals and three assists. epa12129564 SSC Napoli�s coach Antonio Conte celebrates winning the 2024/2025 Serie A title after the Italian Serie A soccer match between SSC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio, in Naples, Italy, 23 May 2025. SSC Napoli won their fourth league title. EPA-EFE/CIRO FUSCO A product of the Chelsea youth academy, Hudson-Odoi already impressed Conte when he was still a very young player during his tenure and was given four appearances in 2017-18. There was a loan at Bayer Leverkusen and sale to Nottingham Forest in 2023 for €3.5m.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Underdogs to top dogs: Kevin De Bruyne's arrival signals new era for Napoli
Kevin De Bruyne's move to Napoli this week felt understated: one of the finest players of a generation switching clubs for the first time in a decade, to little fanfare. The arranging of his medical in Rome, not Naples, played a part, avoiding the crowds that would have turned out to greet him. A handful of fans still found a way to be there when he arrived at the Villa Stuart clinic, 140 miles from their team's home ground. Confirmation of his move came first from the Italian team's owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who posted a picture to social media of them sat side-by-side in director's chairs. 'Welcome Kevin!' were the accompanying words. Advertisement Related: The Joy of Six: Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City The tonal shift from De Laurentiis's earlier work was marked. This is a man who once unveiled Gökhan Inler – a Swiss international, but certainly a less noteworthy talent than De Bruyne – by having him show up in a lion mask to a soiree on a cruise ship. Times change and so have Napoli. A club who used to sell themselves as scene-stealing underdogs have begun to project a different image: of a team that knows it can win trophies and intends to keep doing so. One whose international brand has strengthened to the point where they can land a player like De Bruyne. He is hardly the first big signing of De Laurentiis's tenure. Gonzalo Higuaín had scored 121 goals for Real Madrid and won La Liga three times before he joined Napoli. Victor Osimhen cost more than €70m to acquire from Lille. Advertisement Still, De Bruyne belongs to a different category: one of the best performers in Premier League history, with six winners' medals and two player-of-the-season awards – the latter achievement placing him in exalted company alongside Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Mohamed Salah. De Bruyne is also a European champion, who pushed his body to breaking point to help Manchester City get across the line in 2023. Since buying the rights to a bankrupt club in 2004, De Laurentiis has rebuilt Napoli's image in part through a strategy of progressively more high-profile transfers and managerial appointments. Having made his fortune in the movie industry, he understands better than most the difference that a sprinkling of stardust can make. De Bruyne will be 34 by the time he plays his first game for Napoli, and the last two years at City suggest his body is no longer capable of performing at the levels it once did. Even so, a player who chipped in eight goals and 17 assists over the last two Premier League seasons, while starting only 34 games, plainly still has things left to contribute. And his power as a leading man may yet be undimmed. According to the newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport, Napoli's Instagram added in excess of 500,000 new followers – more than 10% of their total – within hours of De Bruyne being announced. These are details that will make some football fans roll their eyes, but in the business of the modern game they matter. Advertisement Related: The year of Napoli and Scott McTominay: the Serie A season review Social media following is one metric companies assess when negotiating commercial deals with football clubs. But there are more subtle impacts, too. It would be naïve to imagine that footballers, each a 'brand' in their own right, do not sometimes think about their teams' online presence and how it ties up with their own. It is not so much that De Bruyne's signing transforms the landscape for Napoli, but it might consolidate a trend. They have won two Serie A titles in three years, yet those successes have felt oddly unconnected – achieved under different managers with different tactics using different players in key roles. The 2022-23 Scudetto was a bolt from the blue, Luciano Spalletti harnessing the talent of a newly-discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as well as a break-out year for Osimhen. Last season was something different, a fresh project under Antonio Conte that came together quicker than anyone expected. Advertisement 'We had set ourselves the target of getting back into Europe, not even the Champions League,' Conte told Italy's Sky Sport this week. 'We wanted to have one more year of growth, then try to compete to win things in the third year.' The tension between the manager's 'slow-and-steady' vision, and the escalating pressure to keep winning as his team emerged as a front-runner, almost brought his tenure to a premature end. Even as Napoli celebrated their title, his gestures toward De Laurentiis appeared frosty. Was it the promise of signing players like De Bruyne that ultimately persuaded Conte to stay around? To reverse the question, how important was the manager's presence in convincing De Bruyne to make this move? There were offers on the table from teams in the United States and Saudi Arabia, but De Bruyne still has the itch to compete at Europe's highest levels. Last season only confirmed Conte's astonishing ability to deliver silverware almost everywhere he goes. Then again, perhaps there were other factors. De Bruyne may have spoken to his Belgium team-mate Romelu Lukaku, who racked up 14 goals and 10 assists after joining Napoli from Chelsea last summer. Or their compatriot Dries Mertens, who played nine seasons for the Partenopei and fell so head-over-heels in love with the city that when he speaks of 'home' this is still the place of which he thinks, despite leaving to join Galatasaray in 2022. Mertens was awarded honorary citizenship of Naples this month. Advertisement Or maybe it was even just witnessing another player move here from Manchester and reimagine their career. Scott McTominay went from United cast-off to Serie A MVP in nine months. It will be fascinating to see how Conte uses them together. He showed his flexibility this season, tearing up his original tactical plans to exploit the Scotland international's strengths to the fullest. There is every reason to believe De Bruyne can be a hit, too. A cliché it may be, but it remains true that the football played in Serie A is slower and more tactical than the Premier League. With more time on the ball, he will have an opportunity to reinvent himself all over again – as he did repeatedly throughout the different chapters of his time under Pep Guardiola at City. Related: Farewell Kevin De Bruyne: Manchester City's genius and a law unto himself | Simon Hattenstone As long ago as 2016, De Bruyne told Britain's Sky Sports that 'I am used to playing in six different positions.' By now we might be into double figures. He was at different times for City a box-to-box midfielder, a deep-lying playmaker, a winger, a No 10 and a false nine. Advertisement 'I still have a lot to give,' De Bruyne said this April, as he contemplated a life after City. 'Obviously I know I'm not 25 any more, but I still feel like I can do my job.' He will do it now in Naples, under a manager who always wins and for an owner whose ambitions continue to grow. One of Conte's oft-repeated frustrations last season was that his club had done its business late in the transfer window, leaving him little time to prepare. Landing De Bruyne this early may well be signal a more aggressive summer ahead.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Kevin De Bruyne remains a superstar despite his understated arrival at Napoli
Kevin De Bruyne's move to Napoli this week felt understated: one of the finest players of a generation switching clubs for the first time in a decade, to little fanfare. The arranging of his medical in Rome, not Naples, played a part, avoiding the crowds that would have turned out to greet him. A handful of fans still found a way to be there when he arrived at the Villa Stuart clinic, 140 miles from their team's home ground. Confirmation of his move came first from the Italian team's owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who posted a picture to social media of them sat side-by-side in director's chairs. 'Welcome Kevin!' were the accompanying words. The tonal shift from De Laurentiis's earlier work was marked. This is a man who once unveiled Gökhan Inler – a Swiss international, but certainly a less noteworthy talent than De Bruyne – by having him show up in a lion mask to a soiree on a cruise ship. Times change and so have Napoli. A club who used to sell themselves as scene-stealing underdogs have begun to project a different image: of a team that knows it can win trophies and intends to keep doing so. One whose international brand has strengthened to the point where they can land a player like De Bruyne. He is hardly the first big signing of De Laurentiis's tenure. Gonzalo Higuaín had scored 121 goals for Real Madrid and won La Liga three times before he joined Napoli. Victor Osimhen cost more than €70m to acquire from Lille. Still, De Bruyne belongs to a different category: one of the best performers in Premier League history, with six winners' medals and two player-of-the-season awards – the latter achievement placing him in exalted company alongside Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Mohamed Salah. De Bruyne is also a European champion, who pushed his body to breaking point to help Manchester City get across the line in 2023. Since buying the rights to a bankrupt club in 2004, De Laurentiis has rebuilt Napoli's image in part through a strategy of progressively more high-profile transfers and managerial appointments. Having made his fortune in the movie industry, he understands better than most the difference that a sprinkling of stardust can make. De Bruyne will be 34 by the time he plays his first game for Napoli, and the last two years at City suggest his body is no longer capable of performing at the levels it once did. Even so, a player who chipped in eight goals and 17 assists over the last two Premier League seasons, while starting only 34 games, plainly still has things left to contribute. And his power as a leading man may yet be undimmed. According to the newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport, Napoli's Instagram added in excess of 500,000 new followers – more than 10% of their total – within hours of De Bruyne being announced. These are details that will make some football fans roll their eyes, but in the business of the modern game they matter. Social media following is one metric companies assess when negotiating commercial deals with football clubs. But there are more subtle impacts, too. It would be naïve to imagine that footballers, each a 'brand' in their own right, do not sometimes think about their teams' online presence and how it ties up with their own. It is not so much that De Bruyne's signing transforms the landscape for Napoli, but it might consolidate a trend. They have won two Serie A titles in three years, yet those successes have felt oddly unconnected – achieved under different managers with different tactics using different players in key roles. The 2022-23 Scudetto was a bolt from the blue, Luciano Spalletti harnessing the talent of a newly-discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as well as a break-out year for Osimhen. Last season was something different, a fresh project under Antonio Conte that came together quicker than anyone expected. 'We had set ourselves the target of getting back into Europe, not even the Champions League,' Conte told Italy's Sky Sport this week. 'We wanted to have one more year of growth, then try to compete to win things in the third year.' The tension between the manager's 'slow-and-steady' vision, and the escalating pressure to keep winning as his team emerged as a front-runner, almost brought his tenure to a premature end. Even as Napoli celebrated their title, his gestures toward De Laurentiis appeared frosty. Was it the promise of signing players like De Bruyne that ultimately persuaded Conte to stay around? Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion To reverse the question, how important was the manager's presence in convincing De Bruyne to make this move? There were offers on the table from teams in the United States and Saudi Arabia, but De Bruyne still has the itch to compete at Europe's highest levels. Last season only confirmed Conte's astonishing ability to deliver silverware almost everywhere he goes. Then again, perhaps there were other factors. De Bruyne may have spoken to his Belgium team-mate Romelu Lukaku, who racked up 14 goals and 10 assists after joining Napoli from Chelsea last summer. Or their compatriot Dries Mertens, who played nine seasons for the Partenopei and fell so head-over-heels in love with the city that when he speaks of 'home' this is still the place of which he thinks, despite leaving to join Galatasaray in 2022. Mertens was awarded honorary citizenship of Naples this month. Or maybe it was even just witnessing another player move here from Manchester and reimagine their career. Scott McTominay went from United cast-off to Serie A MVP in nine months. It will be fascinating to see how Conte uses them together. He showed his flexibility this season, tearing up his original tactical plans to exploit the Scotland international's strengths to the fullest. There is every reason to believe De Bruyne can be a hit, too. A cliché it may be, but it remains true that the football played in Serie A is slower and more tactical than the Premier League. With more time on the ball, he will have an opportunity to reinvent himself all over again – as he did repeatedly throughout the different chapters of his time under Pep Guardiola at City. As long ago as 2016, De Bruyne told Britain's Sky Sports that 'I am used to playing in six different positions.' By now we might be into double figures. He was at different times for City a box-to-box midfielder, a deep-lying playmaker, a winger, a No 10 and a false nine. 'I still have a lot to give,' De Bruyne said this April, as he contemplated a life after City. 'Obviously I know I'm not 25 any more, but I still feel like I can do my job.' He will do it now in Naples, under a manager who always wins and for an owner whose ambitions continue to grow. One of Conte's oft-repeated frustrations last season was that his club had done its business late in the transfer window, leaving him little time to prepare. Landing De Bruyne this early may well be signal a more aggressive summer ahead.
BreakingNews.ie
12-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Napoli confirm arrival of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City
Napoli have confirmed Kevin De Bruyne is to join them from Manchester City. The Belgium playmaker is out of contract at City this summer. Advertisement De Bruyne, 33, will move to the Serie A champions after 10 years at City in which he won the Premier League six times and the Champions League. A tweet from Napoli, which showed De Bruyne sitting on a throne, read: 'King Kev is here.' A further tweet read, 'Welcome to SS Napoli Kevin De Bruyne', while club president Aurelio De Laurentiis also released a photograph of himself shaking hands with the player. No contract details have yet been given. Advertisement The move had been widely anticipated after De Laurentiis confirmed talks had been held with De Bruyne last month. He also revealed De Bruyne had already bought property in the area. De Bruyne had previously expressed hope of staying at City but the club decided not to offer him a new deal as they undertake an overhaul of the squad following an underwhelming season. He leaves City as one of the most decorated players in the club's history having helped them to 16 trophy successes since moving from Wolfsburg in a £55million deal in 2015. In all, De Bruyne made 422 appearances for City, scoring 108 goals and registering 170 assists. Advertisement 'Everyone at Manchester City wishes Kevin the very best of luck on this new chapter of his career,' said the Premier League club in a statement confirming his departure. Napoli added: 'Kevin is proud to be one of us!'
