Napoli target Doumbia now locked in by €80m Sporting clause
Giovanni Manna tracked the midfielder before Venezia sold him to Sporting for €20m; the Portuguese club has since turned down a €50m bid for January.
Issa Doumbia remains a name Napoli once tracked and then lost. The 2003-born midfielder, fresh off his senior national team debut and his first Champions League goal, was followed by sporting director Giovanni Manna last spring and summer. Sporting Lisbon ended up signing him instead, taking him from Venezia for €20m plus bonuses.
His price has already moved: the Portuguese club have rejected offers of €50m for January, aiming to sell in around a year's time instead, with the release clause now set at €80m.
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Napoli's midfield is ageing and the gap remains unfilled. Anguissa and De Bruyne are out of contract in June 2027, Lobotka and McTominay in 2028, and of the four only the Scot has yet to turn 30. The generational change Doumbia might have provided now comes with a price tag that has quadrupled in a few months.
Source: Il Napolista
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