The upcoming match between Napoli and Juventus on Saturday at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Fuorigrotta has once again highlighted the intense rivalry between these two Italian football powerhouses. This rivalry has long since transcended the 90 minutes of play on the field, extending into the realms of power politics and the transfer market.
Recent developments have only intensified this competition. The exchange of sporting directors – with Cristiano Giuntoli, the architect of Napoli’s recent Scudetto victory, moving to Juventus, and Giovanni Manna joining Napoli after a year alongside Giuntoli in Turin – has added another layer to the rivalry. The appointment of former Juventus manager Antonio Conte as Napoli’s new head coach has further fueled the fire.
According to a recent report from La Repubblica, the latest chapter in this ongoing saga involves Juventus’ new signing, French striker Randal Kolo Muani. The player arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last week but was only officially registered on Thursday due to bureaucratic issues and loan limit regulations that PSG needed to resolve.
In an unexpected twist, it has been reported that Napoli’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis and coach Antonio Conte attempted to leverage their relationships with PSG, established during negotiations for Kvaratskhelia, to persuade the French club to delay the paperwork for Kolo Muani’s registration. This move was allegedly in response to Juventus’ refusal to release Danilo earlier in the transfer window.
The aim wasn’t to derail the transfer entirely, but rather to prevent Kolo Muani from being available for the crucial upcoming match. However, this attempt proved unsuccessful. PSG’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chose to honor the agreement with Juventus, even making a direct call to Juventus’ general manager to ensure the deal went through as planned.
