Napoli president De Laurentiis refuses to pay €14m for Juventus midfielder | OneFootball

Napoli might be keen to sign Juventus midfielder Fabio Miretti, but club president Aurelio De Laurentiis isn’t willing to spend more than he deems necessary.

The 21-year-old is a Juventus youth product who spent the previous campaign on loan at Genoa, where he managed to impress under the guidance of Patrick Vieira.

However, his positive displays at the Luigi Ferraris weren’t enough to convince Igor Tudor, who considers him ill-suited for his 3-4-2-1 tactical system.

Napoli leading the race for Fabio Miretti

Luckily for Miretti, he still has several admirers on the market who are looking to accommodate him, and chief among them is Napoli who emerged as the clear frontrunners in the race.

In recent weeks, some of the most reliable sources in Italian football confirmed that the Partenopei have opened talks with Juventus for Miretti.

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Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna has identified the young man as the right profile to round off the middle of the park, as Antonio Conte is still searching the market for a sixth midfielder.

But according to Il Mattino (via TuttoJuve), De Laurentiis has yet to give the green light, as he isn’t willing to go over the top.

De Laurentiis feels Juventus are asking too much for Miretti

As the source explains, the Napoli patron feels that Juve’s valuation of €14 million is excessive, so he would only be willing to sign the Italy U21 starlet for a lower price.

The report adds that De Laurentiis would be happy to bide his time and wait for a low-cost opportunity from the Premier League, similar to last season when he signed Philip Billing on loan from Bournemouth.

Hence, it remains to be seen if Juventus would be willing to give the Italian champions a discount, or instead stand their ground while waiting for the right offer to sell him.