Giuntoli: ‘We nearly signed Haaland’

Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli revealed that the club came close to signing Erling Haaland before he joined Dortmund but ended up signing Victor Osimhen. Giuntoli was speaking with Il Corriere Dello Sport and was asked his biggest regret in terms of players he may have signed, and revealed that talks were underway for the Norwegian striker:

The contract with Salzburg was done already, we would have paid his €25m clause. He and Osimhen were our priorities and when Haaland opted for Borussia Dortmund, we went for Victor. To us, they were on the same level.

The secret of Napoli’s success this term? Commitment, competence and the courage of ownership that has proved his worth in the last 18 years.

COVID forced us to change because the wage bill was no longer sustainable and the situation almost reset the financial resources.

Despite COVID, De Laurentiis invested in signing Osimhen, but we had to make drastic decisions and open a new cycle.

I can’t deny that there have been some misunderstandings, but it’s understandable in a rapport that’s been lasting for 10 years.

Perhaps, he didn’t like my attitude at some point and thought I had some technical choices wrong.

I consider De Laurentiis a manager with an extraordinary vision. Disagreements quickly disappeared and we started a dialogue, choosing a new path, and creating a familiar rapport.

Kvaratskhelia? We had opened talks for him when Ancelotti was at the club, but Rubin Kazan’s €30m request stunned us.

The war in Ukraine has changed the situation and with Khvicha at Dinamo Batumi, we made a new attempt.

Spalletti is involved in the team’s development. He makes his assessments and then decides. There is total syntony, we never make certain decisions alone.

My contract? I am in no rush, 20 months are a lot, if we look back, where were we 20 months ago?”