Napoli are determined to keep midfielder Elijf Elmas and have already turned down a ‘monstrous offer’ from Leeds United for him.
That’s according to Area Napoli, who pick up on reports from earlier this week that Leeds are keen on the Macedonian.
On Tuesday we covered comments made by Italian journalist Ciro Venerato, who claimed that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were one of several trying to sign Elmas from Napoli in the January transfer window.
He claimed that they, alongside a German trio of Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig, as well as Benfica, had all made €25m offers to sign the 21-year-old.
This was backed up somewhat by Portuguese TV channel TVI24, who stated that Benfica were in advanced negotiations for him.
Area Napoli now pick up the thread and say that Napoli are ‘determined’ to keep their man and consider him ‘untouchable’.
Thus, they have already rejected ‘monstrous’ offers from around Europe for him, with Leeds and his other suitors all having offered as much as €25m to sign him.
That wasn’t nearly enough, with president Aurelio De Laurentiis and sporting director, Cristiano Giuntoli ‘betting big’ on the 21-year-old and manager Gennaro Gattuso, determined for him to become ‘a staple of the team’.
Indeed Gattuso has already given him plenty of opportunities in the first-team and Elmas knowns that in the near future he could be a starter for Napoli.
That suggests he isn’t that interested in a move either and having already seen a big bid rejected, perhaps Leeds would do well to turn their attention elsewhere.
