Napoli open to selling Lang in January for as little as €15m

Napoli paid PSV €25m plus bonuses for Noa Lang in summer 2025 and signed him until 2030. An offer of €15m-€20m may now be enough to take him away in January.

How it got here is well known. In Porto, after the 4-1, he walked off without going over to the section holding the Napoli fans. Against Lazio he was whistled every time he touched the ball. He answered by cupping his hand to his ear towards the Curva A, the hardcore home end, even while his teammates were celebrating the equaliser. Rrahmani went over to tell him to calm down.

At the final whistle Lang was the first to leave the pitch. Only Rrahmani managed to bring him back, briefly, to stand in front of the Curva with the others. The irony is that the cross for the 1-1 was his. It went in on 48 minutes, most likely off Pedraza for an own goal.

The price and who wants him

The gap between what Napoli paid and what might now be enough speaks for itself: they would sell at a loss. In between came an unhappy loan at Galatasaray and a return to Naples in the summer. None of it ever turned a long-term investment into a real bond with the fanbase.

There is interest. Abroad, Ajax know the player and Dutch football well, and Galatasaray have not fully closed the door. In Italy, Atalanta are interested, and Genoa are the latest name to emerge. These are different options with different budgets.

Lang is not the only one on the list of departures. A January exit is a real possibility again for Lucca. He has not scored yet, and against Lazio he was whistled before he even came on. After his row with De Bruyne in Porto, his departure was already being described as almost certain. Allegri has defended him in every way he can, but the mood has not changed.

For Manna, the two sales would also make practical sense: room in the squad and money to reinvest. The room is genuinely needed. The 25-man squad list is full, and a place has to be freed before any signing if Buongiorno is to be registered again in January.

Who is responsible

The gesture towards his own fans, with the team tenth and without a win in three games, cannot be defended. Anyone who plays at the Maradona knows where they are.

But selling for €15m-€20m a player who cost €25m plus bonuses and is under contract until 2030 also means admitting the deal has not worked. That is not the fault of the people whistling. It belongs to whoever chose him, and to whoever, between PSV, Galatasaray and his return, failed to get the best out of him or win over this city.

Easing the tension in a dressing room that already has enough of it is understandable. But if the window De Laurentiis promised Allegri starts with departures, and the reinforcements stay a list of names, January risks being nothing more than a clear-out.

The window reopens on 2 January, but the football comes first: Napoli v Torino at the Maradona on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET). Lang is away on international duty. When he returns, he will face the same stadium that whistled his every touch on Sunday 8 November. That night will show whether there is still something to repair, or only a price left to negotiate.