De Bruyne's stoppage-time double reopens Napoli renewal talk

Napoli's 3-0 win over Frosinone on Saturday 10 October carries Kevin De Bruyne's signature twice over. He converted a rebounded penalty in the 29th minute, after Højlund had missed the original spot kick, then beat Turati again in the 94th minute, finishing off an assist from Giovane. Lang had made it 2-0 in between, in the 32nd minute.

Until a few days ago, an end-of-season exit looked like a settled matter. De Bruyne was expected to leave as a free agent, with San Diego FC, Inter Miami and Chicago Fire all said to have already approached his camp about a move to Major League Soccer.

Saturday's brace has put all of that back into question. Letting go, for nothing, of a player who can decide a game with a penalty and then deliver the knockout blow no longer looks like such a simple call for the club, and the option of extending his contract by another season is back on the table.

A decision beyond one performance

It is fair to ask how much of this rethink is pure emotion from a convincing win rather than cold calculation: a renewal is not decided on one brace, just as a departure should not be decided on one bad night. But the opposite is also true. Napoli have no ready alternative of De Bruyne's level in that part of the pitch, and every month that passes without a decision makes a rival signing him for nothing more likely.

Aurelio De Laurentiis's own view is part of the reassessment. According to some reports, the Napoli president liked not just the result but the tactical changes made by Allegri, rewarded by the form of Benoît Badiashile and of Lang himself. On a Saturday night at the Maradona, more than one player gained credit with the ownership — not De Bruyne alone.

The question lands two days before a Champions League away trip, on Tuesday 13 October at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET), to the Estadio de la Cerámica against Villarreal. There, De Bruyne will have to back up on the pitch what the club is, for now, only weighing up in the offices at Castel Volturno, Napoli's training ground.