Born in Naples on 10/03/88, graduated in Philosophy and Politics at the Oriental University of Naples. He has been working for TMW since 2008, he was deputy director for 10 years. Correspondent following the National Team
Napoli have so far spent seventy-five million euros to buy David Neres, Alessandro Buongiorno and Rafa Marin (in addition to the free agent Spinazzola). In terms of money spent, the Neapolitan club is the second Italian club behind only Roma and will soon become the first: 30 million euros will be needed to buy Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, another 45-50 to sign two new midfielders: McTominay and Gilmour.
Doing a couple of quick and simple calculations, Napoli should break through the wall of 150 million euros spent in this transfer window and so far they have collected just over eleven. Seven have arrived from Leo Ostigard, the only permanent transfer, the others from the onerous loans of Lindstrom, Cajuste and Natan. Another twenty should arrive from the sales of Gaetano to Cagliari and Folorunsho to Lazio, but it is clear that the difference between a market in the deep red and a more financially balanced market is linked to the sale of Victor Osimhen. Napoli, who until a fortnight ago valued the Nigerian striker at 120/130 million euros, have now accepted the offer of 70 million from Al Ahli in order to get rid of the Scudetto bomber, a step that however was not enough to define the operation because Osimhen does not want to go to Saudi Arabia (at least for the moment).
Having said that Napoli could afford such a significant transfer market given the latest positive balance sheets, it is worth noting that the Neapolitan club – to please its coach, to immediately return to the top after a disastrous year – has decided to bet all its chips on this summer. It has also taken into account expenses that are not investments in order to immediately return to competitiveness and knows that it will find the economic balance in a few months only if two conditions are met: the sale of Osimhen, the immediate return to the Champions League. Should they not be met, it will have to prepare for a summer of 2025 of downsizing in which it will be forced to sell even those who do not want to sell, especially Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Juventus has spent more than Napoli so far. The black and white club has largely exceeded the 100 million euro mark for the players alone to sign Douglas Luiz, Khéphren Thuram, Juan Cabal, Nico Gonzalez, Pierre Kalulu, Francisco Conceicao and Michele Di Gregorio. Unlike Napoli, however, Cristiano Giuntoli has largely returned by stringing together a whole series of player sales that, thanks also to the move to Next Gen, have then reached important market valuations. From Soulè to Huijsen, from Iling-junior to Barrenechea, passing through De Winter. Then Kean and Kaio Jorge. Juventus has secured around 90 million euros by selling players who were not part of the project, simply by drawing heavily on the work done in recent years by Next Gen. An incredible financial resource, yet another reason that should push the top Italian clubs to focus heavily on second teams (and instead, so far, this has not been the case). Yet another, but not the only one because Fagioli, Mbangula and Savona are technical resources that are more than useful to Thiago Motta while waiting for the squad to be completed and yesterday they made the difference against Hellas.
Between a McTominay and a Koopmeiners, between a Gilmour and a Sancho on expensive loan, Napoli and Juventus should find themselves having spent roughly a similar amount on the transfer market on Saturday morning, in both cases more than 150 million euros and with a deficit of 60-70 million between income and expenditure. But if on the one hand this deficit is certain because transfers for 90 million have already been defined, on the other everything will depend on the sale of Victor Osimhen, the Scudetto bomber who a year ago was worth 200 million, two weeks ago 130 and now 70…