Napoli abandon pursuit of Spurs winger

Tottenham Hotspur winger Dejan Kulusevski has been linked with a surprise move away from White Hart Lane in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Fabio Paratici pulled off a masterstroke when he brought Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from his former club. The latter joined Spurs on an initial loan deal for 18 months in January 2022, which was followed by an option to buy included in the original contract. 

The North Londoners secured his services for a fee of a mere £25m at the conclusion of his loan term at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he penned a five-year contract with the Premier giants.

The reports of a move back to Italy came out of nowhere earlier this summer when Calcio Mercato reported that Spurs former boss Antonio Conte is keen on bringing the Swede winger to Napoli. 

Conte’s plea ignored as Kulusevski remains a Spur

The former Juventus player has struggled with consistency at times during his stay at N17, particularly in the previous campaign. He contributed to only eight goals and seven assists in 32 appearances in all competitions for the North Londoners. While the aforementioned figures are decent for a Premier League player, they are well below Kulusevski’s potential.

Now, Napoli has sold midfielder Jasper Lindstrom to Everton, which could mean that the Italian giants could compound their interest in the Sweden international. However, Calcio Napoli24 has poured cold water on any possible move for Kulusevski, despite Conte holding the player in very high regard.

Antonio Conte dubbed signing Kulusevski as an excellent investment for Spurs when the club brought him to the club. Conte said: “He is a crack and has a great desire to improve, he sets himself the goal of becoming an important player. It was an excellent investment for Tottenham.”

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However, by the looks of it, Napoli are no longer pursuing a deal for Kulusevski, and the Swede may well continue at Spurs beyond the summer transfer window.