Football Italia
·9 August 2024
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·9 August 2024
Italy international Michael Folorunsho is pushing for a return to his beloved Lazio, and after the Atalanta transfer collapsed, he scrubbed Napoli from his social media accounts.
The creative midfielder was part of the Azzurri side that competed at EURO 2024, thanks to his performances on loan at Hellas Verona last season.
He returned to base following that spell and signed a new contract that will expire in June 2029, but does not seem to be part of coach Antonio Conte’s plans at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The 26-year-old had been all set for a €15m move to Atalanta last week when it collapsed, partly because Gianluca Scamacca’s injury forced La Dea to invest in a replacement, but also amid rumours they refused to give a 30 per cent cut of the sell-on fee.
Now Fiorentina are interested, but Lazio have to be the favourites, because Folorunsho has always confessed to being a supporter of the Biancocelesti.
He started out in their youth academy, released as a free agent for Virtus Francavilla in 2017 and then sold to Napoli two years later.
The Corriere dello Sport note Napoli are asking for a similar fee, €15m plus €3m in add-ons and a cut of the future sale fee.
Lazio would also be a bonus because he already worked with coach Marco Baroni at Verona and before that at Reggina in Serie B.
Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that Folorunsho scrubbed Napoli from his Instagram account, suggesting he knows his time there is up.