Napoli weigh January exit for Anguissa to avoid losing him free

Napoli are considering closing the André-Frank Anguissa chapter as early as the January window, rather than let his contract run down to its natural expiry on 30 June 2027.

The situation has been clear for weeks. Milan have already been told they could sign Anguissa for free once his contract ends. For Napoli, that would mean closing an important cycle without a single euro in return, after years in which the Cameroonian was one of the most used midfielders in the squad. January is therefore the only realistic window to cash in on a sale, before the approaching deadline tips all the leverage to other clubs.

There is a football reason behind the push too. Since returning from the injury he picked up last season, Anguissa has not been the player he once was. His performances have often fallen short, and his role in Massimiliano Allegri's plans has shrunk. A player who no longer fits the project and risks leaving for free in June is exactly the case where a club moves to sell early.

Lining up the midfield of the future

Napoli are already looking at who could fill the gap Anguissa would leave. Mamadou Coulibaly of Monaco and Sebastian Szymański of Rennes have been identified as January targets, while the idea of Eljif Elmas returning from Atalanta remains on the table, though without clear shape yet. These are still open scenarios rather than operations under way, but they show that the midfield of the post-Anguissa era is already being sketched out at Castel Volturno, the club's training ground.

A fitness concern before a transfer one

For now, though, Anguissa's name is tied more to injury trouble than to the transfer market. He has suffered a recurrence of his adductor problem and is in doubt for Saturday's game at the Maradona against Frosinone, one of six open cases in the Napoli medical room ahead of matchday six. It is a paradox supporters have noticed: discussing how to sell him in January while he fights to be available for October.

The January window opens on Saturday 2 January and closes on Tuesday 2 February 2027. That is when Napoli will have to decide whether this assessment becomes a real operation, with a buyer and a fee on the table. Until then, Anguissa remains a player in the squad who plays his matches — starting, if he recovers in time, with the one against Frosinone — with a future already written elsewhere.