Lobotka wanted for Spalletti reunion at Juventus, but Napoli will resist
Stanislav Lobotka was a key figure in Luciano Spalletti’s Scudetto-winning Napoli side, and it’s reported the coach has requested a reunion at Juventus.
The Slovakia international pulled the midfield strings for Spalletti when they marched to the Serie A title in 2023.
According to Calciomercato, the coach believes he would be the man to take Juve to the next level if they get into the Champions League for next season.
It would be a very tricky transfer to pull off, as the two clubs are bitter rivals and rarely agree to exchange players on the transfer market.
Juventus keep eye on Lobotka
Lobotka has been with Napoli since 2020 and his contract runs to June 2027, although the club does have an option to extend by another year.
Notably, that option is only activated if he plays at least 50 per cent of all official games in the 2026-27 season, otherwise he’d be a free agent.
He turns 32 in November and played less than usual this term due to a series of injury problems, still making 38 appearances with one goal and one assist.
There is a release clause in Lobotka’s contract worth €25m, but it is only valid for clubs outside of Italy until mid-July.
Many of the Napoli players have these clauses in place, as they were put there in the wake of Juventus buying out Gonzalo Higuain, so the club wanted to avoid it repeating.
With that in mind, the chances of Aurelio De Laurentiis agreeing to hand Lobotka over to Juventus are very slim and he would cost at least €30m.
His agent had hinted at issues with Antonio Conte’s rigorous training methods, but then brushed those off as a joke later.