Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli has poured doubt on the chances of Hirving Lozano leaving the club this summer.
The Mexican has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer after a disappointing year in Italy so far.
Everton are thought to be among his suitors, with Carlo Ancelotti having signed him for Napoli and director of football Marcel Brands the man who brought him to Europe for PSV Eindhoven.
The rumours about a move to Goodison Park have been numerous since January, with the Blues presented regularly as an opportunity for Napoli to recover their losses.
It seems that is not something they will be looking to do, though, with Giuntoli hinting there won’t be any move to Everton.
“Is Lozano a disappointment?” Arena Napoli report him saying.
“It’s not that something didn’t work out, he wasn’t doing very well, a knee problem held him back in the summer.
“He’s played some good games as a second striker under Ancelotti, he didn’t do as well as you’d think, but he didn’t do as badly either.
“He’s a treasure of Napoli, and in the future, he will show what he can do.”
That would certainly suggest that, should Everton come asking in the summer, as has been widely predicted, Napoli may not be as open to a sale as everyone thinks.
Much of it is likely to rest on manager Gennaro Gattuso. He’s barely used Lozano since replacing Ancelotti in December, and if he maintains that stance, it would make little sense for Napoli to keep hold of the Mexican.
Of course, money will also be the deciding factor. Lozano has been a flop given the price the Italian side paid for him and, if Everton were willing to offer a good enough price, it’s hard to see them not being tempted to sell.
