Napoli Transfer Market: Antonio Conte Had Ruled Him Out; A Possible Comeback Under Max Allegri
Napoli Transfer News: He didn’t have a place in Antonio Conte’s lineup, but Max Allegri might give him a chance. On Tuesday, the Napoli squad welcomed back Cyril Ngonge more than a year after he last played for the team. Since then, the Belgian winger had been on loan at Torino and Espanyol, but in the meantime he has returned to the club and has been training at the Teofilo Patini Stadium in Castel di Sangro with his teammates.
According to a statement released by Napoli on Tuesday, Ngonge “has joined the team at their training camp in Castel di Sangro, where he has begun individual fitness training.” Transfer rumors involving him are scarce at the moment: it therefore cannot be ruled out that Allegri might decide to consider a potential revival of his career at Napoli, putting the Belgian’s (born in 2000) very disappointing recent years behind him—especially given how well he had performed during his first year and a half in Serie A while playing for Verona.
To understand Ngonge’s journey with the Azzurri, it’s worth retracing the key milestones. The Belgian arrived at Napoli in January 2024, acquired from Hellas Verona for a fee of around 20 million euros, signing a contract through 2028. It was a significant investment by the Neapolitan club, justified by his 35 appearances and 11 goals scored for Verona across the league and Coppa Italia. Verona’s head coach at the time, Marco Baroni, had openly acknowledged the significance of the loss: “It’s clear that Ngonge’s departure is a major loss. We were aware there was significant interest in the transfer market, but we also knew the club wouldn’t let him go unless the terms were too good to refuse.”
However, those expectations did not materialize. Ngonge never managed to establish himself at Napoli, and by the 2025 winter transfer window, his name was already being mentioned as a possible departure, with Bologna pressing for the Belgian winger. The turning point came with his loan to Torino in the summer of 2025, but even with the Granata, things didn’t go as hoped: in 20 games, 10 of which he started, Ngonge managed to score just one goal—on Matchday 5 against Parma—and became one of the most booed players on Baroni’s team. The situation deteriorated to the point that, during the January 2026 transfer window, the way was paved for another loan, this time to Espanyol in La Liga.
Now, after this long string of disappointing stints away from Napoli, the right winger’s market value is estimated at around 8 million euros: just over a third of the 20 million spent by the Azzurri club a mere two and a half years ago. This significant depreciation speaks volumes—more than any statistic—about the Belgian’s tortuous journey. Allegri, however, is known for his ability to revitalize players written off as finished, and the training camp in Castel di Sangro could represent Ngonge’s last real chance to relaunch his career at the highest level.
