Napoli owner dismisses claims that he has made an offer for starlet.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has reportedly asked the club to allow him to leave, according to his agent.
The 20-year-old impressed in his debut campaign in Ligue 1 last season, earning further recognition of his talents after a spell at Pescara in Serie B the previous year.
Comparisons have been made to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo, and it is expected that Verratti will be the veteran’s long-term replacement in the national side.
However, his more immediate future has come under doubt in recent weeks as he looks to secure an improved deal from the French champions.
It is understood that the youngster is looking to have his current deal, worth around €800,000, increased to around €3-4m per year. However, it is believed that the capital club are only willing to double his money.
The news arrives after Thiago Silva recently signed an improved contract, while both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Blaise Matuidi are expected to do the same.
However, with strong interest from the likes of Napoli and Fiorentina, it is believed that Verratti is keeping his options open ahead of the new season, and his agent, Donato Di Campli, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a departure.
“We’re not happy,” Di Campli told L’Equipe as reported by ESPN. “The situation is starting to become difficult.
“We even asked the club to allow him to leave but this permission was not granted.”
It is understood that another meeting is scheduled between the two parties next week where it will become clearer as to whether or not the starlet will stay in Paris.
However, despite Di Campli’s claims that Napoli had made a “monstrous” offer for the Italian midfielder, club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has dismissed the reports as pure speculation.
“Some media, at times, need to write something and report things which haven’t been verified with the source,” President Aurelio De Laurentiis noted on Twitter this morning.
“Verratti is not for sale. Agents, through the media, are trying to put pressure on PSG in order to get the player an increased salary.
“We are friends of PSG and we are not taking part in this game,” he concluded.
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