Napoli Forgoes Nunez For Lucca Deal

Napoli didn’t find a way to sign Darwin Nunez at somewhat manageable figures, so they accelerated for Lorenzo Lucca and shook hands with Udinese on Tuesday. The striker will take the medicals later this week and leave for the first summer retreat in Dimaro with the rest of the team, Fabrizio Romano reports (via SOSFanta).

The Partenopei and the Bianconeri agreed to a €35M price tag. The transfer will technically go down as a loan with a €9M initial fee and a €26M obligation to buy plus add-ons. The 24-year-old broke out at Palermo and Pisa in the lower leagues between 2020 and 2021 but didn’t live up to expectations at Ajax. He headed back to the Peninsula and has recorded 23 goals and 6 assists in 75 matches in Friuli. He has five caps with Italy.

Napoli have formally informed the Darwin Nunez camp that they won’t proceed with the negotiation after sealing the Lucca deal. President Aurelio De Laurentiis deemed the operation too pricey. They would have had to spend north of €50M for the Liverpool outcast, plus much richer wages. He could go to Saudi Arabia now.

Per Tuttomercatoweb, the newcomer will make €1.5M/2M annually. The savings will be directed toward Dan Ndoye, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, and Juanlu Sanchez.

Our Take on Napoli Adding Lucca Over Darwin Nunez
Things might have been different had they solved the Victor Osimhen saga in a timely fashion, but they were exposed them to other sides jumping in, like Atalanta, Milan, and Juventus. The investment might be larger than initially thought, but they got a favorable formula, which comes at a cost. It’s a perfectly fine choice for what they need, especially if it helps them reach their transfer market other goals.

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