Neymar, Napoli’s market dream unveiled

Napoli continues to fly on the wings of its “Fab Four” – Lobotka, Anguissa, McTominay and De Bruyne. But the famous quartet could have turned into an amazing “Fab Five.” The backstory is the kind that makes you dream: last summer, the Azzurri club would have actually considered bringing Neymar to the Maradona Stadium.

A shot on the edge of imagination, even if the Brazilian is no longer the one of his golden days between Barcelona and PSG. After an ill-fated experience at Al Hilal, marked by injuries, Neymar returned to Santos and is no longer part of Ancelotti’s Seleção plans. Yet his name remains synonymous with spectacle and fantasy, capable of igniting the nostalgia of those who lived through the unrepeatable era of Diego Armando Maradona – a comparison, it must be said, that remains unapproachable anyway.

President De Laurentiis and sporting director Manna reportedly discussed the matter with Antonio Conte, considering how to fit the 33-year-old Brazilian into the Neapolitan playing system. In the end, however, rationality prevailed: too many questions about the physical condition and technical sustainability of the operation. Also because in the meantime the De Bruyne option had popped up, much more consistent with the tactical needs and the state of form required by the Azzurri project. And so, faced with the choice between Neymar’s flair and the solidity of the Belgian star, Napoli chose the most concrete path – the one that really makes it fly today.