De Laurentiis: “James is Ancelotti’s Wish Player.”

Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of the SSC Napoli, confirmed in an interview with Radio Kiss Kiss the interest of his club in a commitment from James Rodriguez. The club boss also mentioned a possible replacement in the event of the negotiations failing.

The work on a James commitment is mainly due to the interest of head coach Carlo Ancelotti. “James is Ancelotti’s favourite player,” De Laurentiis explained, adding, “I’m not 100% sure we need him. But his talent is undisputed and I will support my coach. He wants James, and I’m not gonna blink. Even if it gets expensive.”

In the event that a transfer of the former Munich resident does not take place, Hirving Lozano from PSV Eindhoven is to come. “If we don’t manage the James transfer with Jorge Mendes, we’ll contact Mino Raiola about Lozano,” De Laurentiis said in the interview.

However, the 70-year-old ruled out a commitment by both players that they were too similar. So the Napoli boss said, “You can’t take two players and not let them play.”

James returns to Real Madrid this summer after a two-year loan from Bayern Munich, but appears to be on the strike list after Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic’s commitments. The Napoli might see Ancelotti again, with whom he already worked in Madrid and Munich.