I Love Napoli

Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti said that his team is ready for the Champions League match against Paris Saint Germain. He said that his players will not fear the French team despite the fact that they have some world-class players.

He said that football is a game that is played on the pitch and that you cannot tell the result before the game. He said that his players will be ready for a difficult game and that they will do their best in order to win the game.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has insisted that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is a much better footballer than Manchester United’s Paul Pogba. The Serbia international has been regularly linked with a move away from Rome this summer but Lotito has indicated that the midfielder is not for sale unless a significant offer is made before the transfer deadline.

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, he said: “Sergej is the best young player on world scene right now, with huge potential. I have not received any official bids from AC Milan or Juventus, let alone Madrid or United. Of course, I'm not pushing to sell him but if you ask me how much he is worth then I remember last year I turned down a €110m (£99m) offer. How much was Pogba sold to Manchester for? €105m? (£94.4m) Milinkovic-Savic is worth more because he is much better and stronger. And to be clear, I'm not really interested in loan-type arrangements either.”

For all the comings and goings across Europe this transfer window, Napoli's most significant transaction was the loss of their manager, Maurizio Sarri, to Chelsea. With the controversial and hard-nosed head coach gone, and with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus and a number of big names at Roma, few people are counting on Napoli going one better than last season and pipping the Turin side to the Serie A title.

But writing off this team might be premature - with a few intelligent signings and the arrival of a veteran who knows his way to success in Italy in Carlo Ancelotti, the summer may actually have been a positive one for the Naples side. This could be the year that the team live up to their promise and step out of Juventus' shadow - and here are the reasons why.

The representative of Jorginho has confirmed that his client already has a contract offer from Manchester City and it is left for the Citizens to reach an agreement with Napoli. The Premier League champions have shown a keen interest in signing the Italy international since the close of last season but so far, they have failed with an initial €50m bid for the midfielder.

Speaking to Radio Kiss Kiss, Jorginho’s agent confirmed that the Citizens have already discussed personal terms with the enforcer but they remain to negotiate a fee for his proposed transfer. Should this not be the case, the midfielder has been tipped to stay put in Naples for the 2018/19 season.

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has insisted that his side have nothing to lose as they head into the final four fixtures of the Serie A campaign. The Naples outfit looked down and out in the pursuit of the league title earlier this month but their victory over Juventus suddenly sees them with a strong chance of lifting the Italian crown.

Maurizio Sarri’s side appeared on course to pick up a draw during their recent visit to Turin but Koulibaly came with a dramatic headed winner to ensure a close 1-0 win for the visitors. As a result, Juventus’ lead at the top has been cut short to just one point and Koulibaly believes Napoli can overturn the deficit in the remaining four games.

Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno has revealed that he is honoured to be associated with a club of Napoli’s calibre, though his present focus lies in Germany with his team vying for a top-four finish. The 26-year-old has been identified as a potential option to take up the number one role at Napoli next term, with Pepe Reina likely to leave the club. Reina, formerly of Liverpool, is expected to sign a two-year pre-contract with AC Milan with his Napoli deal expiring during the summer.

Napoli have been dealt a fresh injury blow on Faouzi Ghoulam after the Algerian suffered a setback on his recovery from a knee problem. The left-sided defender was expected to return from a torn ACL for the Naples outfit this month, but a fractured right patella will keep him on the sidelines for at least four weeks.

"Ghoulam was operated on at Villa Stuart by Professor [Pierpaolo] Mariana due to a transverse fracture of the right patella. The intervention was perfectly successful. Faouzi will start rehabilitation [on Saturday]. He will be evaluated in 15 days and should return to the training pitch in a month," a Napoli statement confirmed.

Napoli returned to the top of the table after a 1-0 victory over Udinese during the weekend. The team has been able to claim 12 victories from the 14 league matches. As a result, Maurizio Sarri has seen his team open up a two-point advantage over Inter Milan, who have also gone through an unbeaten campaign. Jorginho was able to score the only goal of the game. This result was extremely crucial as it meant that Inter Milan’s win over Cagliari did not have an impact at the top of the table. It has been a tight campaign in the Italian Serie A with the top three teams separated by just only four points.

Surprisingly, Juventus, who have won the title for the last six seasons, are no longer top of the table with the season fast approaching the winter break. Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti has transformed the fortunes of the Milan outfit. After having spent a reasonable sum of money, Inter and Napoli are the two teams left unbeaten so far this season. Even defending champions Juventus have lost two matches out of the 14. After the game, Maurizio Sarri claimed that Napoli could have very well lost the game given the condition of the pitch. The first half goal was a decisive factor in Napoli getting a victory.