De Bruyne could be Napoli's key to keep Conte

ROME — It's no secret that Antonio Conte was extremely disappointed when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia left Napoli for Paris Saint-Germain in January.

So, it might take a big acquisition like Kevin De Bruyne to keep the demanding coach at the freshly crowned Serie A champion.

De Bruyne is at the top of Napoli's wish list, but there are no guarantees that the midfielder, who is leaving Manchester City after a decade, will land at the southern Italian club.

At Napoli, De Bruyne could reunite with Belgium teammate Romelu Lukaku, and follow in the footsteps of former Napoli great Dries Mertens, another Belgium teammate.

"He's a strong player that we like, but we're not the only ones chasing him," Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna said hours before Napoli sealed its fourth Italian league title on Friday.

It also remains to be seen what type of impact the potential arrival of De Bruyne would have on fellow midfielder Scott McTominay.

McTominay was Napoli's breakout star this season, and scored a spectacular opening goal in the 2-0 win over Cagliari that secured the title.

Conte was widely credited with restoring Napoli to success this season following the Partenopei's 10th-place finish a year ago under three different coaches. But, he has always enjoyed the challenge of building a team into a champion, whereas duplicating a previous season's success has been less appealing.

So, it was unsurprising that Conte was inconclusive when he was asked just before the trophy ceremony if he would stay on with the Scudetto winner.

"Let's enjoy the title for now. I have a good relationship with the president," Conte said, referring to Aurelio De Laurentiis. "We had the chance to get to know each other this season. We are two winners. We might be winners in different ways, but we are both winners."

Conte has two more seasons remaining on his contract, but might be interested in returning to Juventus if the struggling Bianconeri have an opening.

"Never say never," De Laurentiis said. "Coaches have their own character that must be respected, and, in my view, you should never oblige them under iron-clad contracts. Napoli is Napoli, it deserves respect. If he wants to put himself at the disposal of the club the way he has done this season, then we say, 'welcome.' we are ready to follow him like a great leader.

"Next year, I would be very pleased if he made his mark in the Champions League," De Laurentiis added.

Wherever he coaches, Conte will want to have a say in the market moves. While he was taken aback when Kvaratskhelia — one of the standouts of Napoli's 2023 title team — left midseason, in the end it was McTominay and Lukaku — the two players who Conte wanted most when he arrived at Napoli — who secured the team the title.

McTominay was named the Italian league's player of the season after leaving boyhood club Manchester United, while Lukaku scored 14 goals and provided a league-best 10 assists.

De Bruyne, who turns 34 next month, has announced that he is leaving City, the club that he helped win 16 major trophies during a period of unprecedented dominance.

Agencies Via Xinhua