Conte: ‘Napoli right not to over-spend on Ndoye, we are not PSG’ | OneFootball

Antonio Conte insists Napoli were right not to go overboard for Dan Ndoye, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shows the difference with PSG who ‘can spend €75m and slot players right into’ the starting XI.

The coach held a lengthy press conference during the pre-season training camp at Castel di Sangro, and you can read the rest of his comments here.

epa12129581 Players of SSC Napoli celebrate with their coach Antonio Conte after winning the 2024/2025 Serie A title after the Italian Serie A soccer match between SSC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio, in Naples, Italy, 23 May 2025. SSC Napoli won their fourth league title. EPA-EFE/CIRO FUSCO

It has been a busy summer for the Serie A title holders, who brought in big names like Kevin De Bruyne, Lorenzo Lucca, Sam Beukema and Noa Lang.

Not all the Napoli transfer targets set out by Conte ended up arriving, for instance Nottingham Forest outbid them for Bologna forward Ndoye, while Lucca was brought in from Udinese as an alternative to first choice Darwin Nunez of Liverpool.

Conte backs Napoli limits on transfer market

Romelu Lukaku, Noa Lang and Kevin De Bruyne in pre-season training with Napoli (Picture @noano via Instagram)

“We are doing things the right way and never over-reaching, because we are proud to create something with financial stability as well as tactical. We are signing players for the present, but above all for the future,” insisted Conte.

“It’s one thing to sign De Bruyne, but he is different to the others. Beukema will be the new Amir Rrahmani, Lucca can watch Romelu Lukaku who scored 300 goals in his career, but at the same time is not a finished player either.

“Lang arrives from Dutch football, a totally different methodology, so we must have patience. If you don’t want to have patience, then be like Paris Saint-Germain who spent €75m to get Kvaratskhelia and slotted him right in. That’s the difference between a club that signs players to grow and a club that wants to just put them straight into the starting XI.

“I cannot compare Lang with Kvaratskhelia, because one cost €75m and another €25m, so it’s an enormous difference,” continued Conte.

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – AUGUST 05: Dan Ndoye of Nottingham Forest battles for possession with Domilson Dodo of Fiorentina during the pre-season friendly match between Nottingham Forest and ACF Fiorentina at City Ground on August 05, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“We had another name on the list, Ndoye of Bologna, but the asking price was very high and I agreed that these are not figures Napoli ought to be paying, so he went elsewhere. We must be proud of having a club that tries to balance the books and be competitive.

“I came here knowing Juventus, Inter and Milan will be up there for their wage bills and value of the squad, so it will be my joy to get Napoli bothering those three for the Scudetto. Being a consistent and stable problem for them is my pride.”

The eventual cost of the operation bringing Ndoye to Nottingham Forest is believed to be worth €40m plus up to €5m in add-ons, and a 10 per cent sell-on clause included in the deal.