Rrahmani agrees Napoli extension to 2029

Amir Rrahmani and Napoli are ready to extend their relationship to 2029. His current contract runs to 2027 and already carries an automatic renewal option for 2028, but the new terms add a further season, tying him to the club until he turns 35.

The new contract is expected to be worth around €3.8m a season, a significant rise on his current terms. Napoli turned down offers in recent months from clubs in the Premier League, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, choosing instead to secure a player who joined the club in 2020 and has become one of the dressing room's leaders over the years.

A defence short of options

The extension comes as Napoli's back line struggles for stability. Sam Beukema has played zero minutes in five matches because of an Achilles tendon problem, Benoît Badiashile has managed just ten, and Luca Marianucci is only at the stage of his first differentiated training session on the pitch after months out. Rrahmani, in this context, has been the one constant: 6 appearances, one assist and 540 minutes played so far this season, all under head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

That reliability matters for a side ninth in the table on 7 points after five games — Napoli's worst start in ten years — heading into the international break with the fanbase split between those backing Allegri and those calling for his sacking. In a defence with more question marks than certainties, having an experienced, available centre-back does not solve the squad's numbers problem, but it removes one variable from the table.

Formation questions remain

It remains to be seen how much this extension weighs on the tactical choices of the coming weeks. The board is considering a possible switch to a 3-4-2-1, but the man pencilled in to complete the back three is Beukema, who is yet to play a minute this season. Rrahmani, with his consistency, is already the one certainty Allegri can count on regardless of the formation.

The official signature on the extension is now the only step left to close the matter. The next test for Napoli's defence, renewal or no renewal, remains the same one facing the whole team: Frosinone visit the Maradona on Saturday 10 October, and Napoli need to turn around a start that the protests in the city are not letting go unnoticed.