Napoli Transfer News: Another Player Leaves, but It’s Neither Genoa nor Udinese
Napoli’s roster overhaul continues, with management working to find new homes for players who are not part of new head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s plans. Among them is Nosa Obaretin, a center back born in 2003, who is set to continue his career in France.
Lorient has reached an agreement with the Naples-based club for the transfer of the Forlì-born player of Nigerian descent. The deal is expected to be finalized as a loan with an option to buy set at 3 million euros in favor of the French club. Genoa and Udinese had also expressed interest in the former Empoli player, but evidently a different path was chosen.
However, Obaretin is not the only player leaving Napoli in these final days of the transfer window. Among the players on whom Allegri does not seem to be relying particularly heavily are Noa Lang and Lorenzo Lucca, both of whom were used in the second half of the league opener against Genoa, a 2-0 victory thanks to goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Vergara. It was a hard-fought victory, coming after a difficult first half, but one that nonetheless confirmed the Neapolitan club’s ambitions for this season.
As for Noa Lang, the most concrete deal appears to be with Maurizio Sarri’s Atalanta, with the parties reportedly closing in on an agreement for a total of 27 million euros. Benfica and Galatasaray remain in the background, however, with the Turkish club having already submitted an offer of 15 million, which the Neapolitan club deemed insufficient. Lorenzo Lucca’s situation, on the other hand, is more complex: Napoli, which invested 35 million to sign him from Udinese, does not intend to accept loan deals. Trabzonspor has shown interest in him, while in Italy, Torino has put forward a proposal for a loan with an option to buy—a scenario the Azzurri club does not welcome.
Goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic also appears set to leave Napoli, as he does not fit into Allegri’s plans. His name has been linked to Juventus, which is looking for a backup for Guglielmo Vicario following the departures of Michele Di Gregorio and Mattia Perin.
