Lobotka ready to leave for the right offer as Napoli's midfield unravels

Stanislav Lobotka has no expiring contract pushing him out of Napoli. His deal runs until 2028. Even so, the Slovak, born in 1994, is ready to leave if the right offer arrives.

Anguissa's situation is already known. His contract expires in June 2027 and there is no renewal. From January the Cameroonian can agree terms with another club and leave on a free at the end of the season. What is new is that Napoli are not ruling out selling him in the winter window if a credible offer comes in, so as not to lose him for nothing. Manna, meanwhile, is following Bakola, a Sassuolo midfielder born in 2007 who has made 9 Serie A appearances this season, 7 of them as a starter.

Four of six midfielders with something unresolved

Lined up together, the cases say more than any rumour. Lobotka is listening to offers. Anguissa is heading for the exit. San Diego have stepped up contact over De Bruyne, whose contract runs until 2027, with January in mind, and on the right terms Napoli would not stand in the way.

McTominay's renewal has stalled over money. He is on €4m net until 2028, and his agent opened by asking for €12m. Of the six midfielders in the squad, only Gilmour and Vergara have no open contract or transfer question. With Lucca and Lang already earmarked to leave, January could change the face of the team, not just one position.

There is another detail on Lobotka that cannot be ignored. He is currently working mostly in the gym because of a problem with his left ankle and will not be available again until mid-December. If he left in January, his last spell as a Napoli player would amount to a few weeks after his return.

And €12-15m is not a huge sum for the playmaker who shaped the club's recent history. Selling him at that price may make sense on the balance sheet, but it is hard to call it a good football decision.

Where the responsibility lies

This needs saying clearly. A cycle ending is understandable after two league titles in three seasons. But reaching November with the whole midfield in limbo, with renewals unsigned, contracts allowed to run down and offers to weigh all at once, is the result of how the squad has been managed.

The summer brought Badiashile and Favasuli and no midfielders. Now the January list runs from Coulibaly, for whom Monaco want €50m, to Zorgane, valued at around €15m. Rebuilding a midfield in a month, from tenth place with 15 points and 9 points off fourth, is not a strategy. It is a scramble.

So the obvious question is worth asking. Is this Napoli's problem really the pair who won two titles, or what was built around them, or never built at all?

Selling Lobotka and Anguissa may be the right call. Doing it before deciding what kind of team Napoli want to become would repeat the mistake of the summer.

Torino visit the Maradona on Saturday 21 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET), and Lobotka will miss it. The window reopens on Saturday 2 January.

Before knowing who arrives, Napoli have to decide who stays.