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Goalkeeper Nikita Contini has officially joined UC Sampdoria on a season-long loan. Contini is a product of Napoli’s youth system but has never featured for the senior team. Sampdoria will be the ninth different club Contini has been loaned to since his 20th birthday.  https://twitter.com/sampdoria/status/1557664479864922112?s=21&t=_bWaP_3WmHLuJN2oUfqlcg The shot-stopper is hoping to bounce back after a somewhat difficult 2021/22 campaign. In the first half of the season, he conceded nine goals in seven appearances for Crotone. He was then loaned to Vicenza, where he conceded an additional 11 goals in 12 appearances. Contini also conceded twice in Vicenza’s relegation playoff against Cosenza.…

The Round of 64 of the Coppa Italia kicked off on Friday and closed on Monday with Napoli's quarter of the bracket. US Sassuolo joined Hellas Verona FC, Empoli FC and US Lecce on the list of Serie A clubs who have been eliminated in the early stages of the tournament. Sassuolo suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Modena FC, who were deserving winners. Giancamo Raspadori, who could be sold to Napoli before the end of the week, played an errant pass back to Diego Falcinelli on the opening goal of the match. Nicola Mosti added a brace…

On Sunday, SSC Bari shocked Hellas Verona FC in their Coppa Italia Round of 32 elimination fixture. Bari, who are owned by Aurelio De Laurentiis and managed by his son Luigi, fell behind early but responded well. I Gallotti scored four goals in the span of 48 minutes to win the match 4-1. The first of those goals was scored at the half-hour mark by Michael Folorunsho, currently on loan at Bari from Napoli. Walid Cheddira drove towards the bye line before playing a low cross in front of goal. Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo made a mess of the cross…

Turkish giants Galatasary SK appear set to announce the signing of ex-Napoli forward Dries Mertens. Rumours of a move to Galatasaray surfaced shortly after Mertens posted a farewell message to Napoli fans on his various social media platforms. Since then, both the player and the club have posted about the much-anticipated move. On Saturday, Mertens’ wife Kat Kerkhofs tracked the family’s journey from Belgium to Turkey on her official Instagram page. Mertens traveled with ex-Fiorentina player Luca Torreira, who signed with Galatasaray earlier this summer. Despite arriving in Istanbul at 3:00 AM, hundreds of Galatasaray fans showed up to welcome…

Lorenzo Insigne opened his MLS account in Toronto FC’s 4-3 victory over Nashville SC on Saturday. The diminutive left winger split between two Nashville players, then fired a shot that dipped into the bottom corner at the near post. https://twitter.com/TorontoFC/status/1556095215278202880?s=20&t=wUgZCkEEGN-20dvBNVKfUQ Insigne celebrated the goal by tucking the ball under his shirt and sucking his thumb - an indication that he and his wife Genoveffa (Geni) Darone are expecting their third child. That was Toronto’s fourth goal of the night after Jonathan Osorio scored a first-half brace and Federico Bernardeschi converted a penalty - his second goal since joining Toronto FC…

On Saturday, Kalidou Koulibaly made his English Premier League debut for Chelsea FC. The central defender played 75 minutes in the 1-0 victory, before leaving the match with what appeared to be a cramp. In his post-match interview with Chelsea TV, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel praised the defender's performance and attributed the injury to a lack of fitness. "Very happy, verry happy. Kouli simply showed his quality, his experience and his courage and today struggled physically. Raheem (Sterling) played the whole match, looked very sharp until it got a bit too tough for him, also physically. He came late, like…

SSC Napoli and RCD Espanyol played to a scoreless draw in Napoli’s final friendly at Castel di Sangro, though the match was anything but friendly. The Spanish club was often late with their challenges, particularly in the dying minutes of the first half. In the 44th minute, after shepherding the ball out for a throw-in, Victor Osimhen collided with a substitute Espanyol player warming up nearly the touch line. A scrum between players of both clubs promptly ensued. Moments later, both Stanislav Lobotka and Hirving Lozano were caught by late tackles in quick succession. The tackles caught the attention of…

On Saturday, SSC Napoli unveiled the club’s third kit for the 2022/24 campaign ahead of their final friendly of the summer. The shirt, which will be warn against Espanyol on Saturday, is aqua blue and, contrary to what has been rumoured, the Lete sponsor on the front of the shirt is red. https://twitter.com/sscnapoli/status/1555819187532169221?s=21&t=UQNI_h91YNy7u7znl6FLyw A model inspired by the suggestive natural beauty, characterized by a degradé pixel design that recalls the sea at night illuminated by the moon. The shirt is signed EA7 Emporio Armani. New styles, new textures, new colors to dress SSC Napoli players The new shirt is available for…