Napoli backs De Bruyne while Lukaku’s future hangs in balance

Kevin De Bruyne is enjoying a well‑earned holiday, yet behind the scenes his future at Napoli is virtually settled unless an extraordinary bid arrives. The Belgian midfielder remains a cornerstone of the Italian top‑club’s plans, with new coach Massimiliano Allegri counting on him as a leader.

The club is actively looking to offload several players this summer to trim the wage bill and rejuvenate the squad, but De Bruyne is explicitly excluded from that list.

Waar Napoli this summer wants to sell players to reduce the payroll, the Belgian midfielder stays, provided no exceptional offer materialises. According to Corriero dello Sport, the ex‑Manchester City star is one of the absolute pillars of the new project despite circulating rumours of a departure.

Voor Lukaku the situation is starkly different. The striker, after a strong World Cup, may seek a new club because Napoli aims to remove his hefty salary of roughly eleven million euros gross per season from the books and is awaiting concrete offers.

According to the club, De Bruyne is expected on 5 August at the pre‑season camp in Castel di Sangro, where he will first work with Allegri. Napoli, however, is trying to persuade him to return a few days earlier for the club’s centenary celebrations on 1 August.

The reason is special: Napoli wants the Belgian to take part in the festivities marking its hundred‑year existence, and officials are checking whether he will shorten his holiday for the event.

Unless a financially irresistible proposal emerges in the coming weeks, a departure for De Bruyne appears ruled out, and all signs point to him becoming one of Napoli’s prominent faces next season.