Napoli’s only two Serie A titles came in 1987 and 1990 with a side inspired by Argentina great Diego Maradona, and De Laurentiis is taking a strong stance with his players in his quest to bring success back to Naples.

“We pay the salaries to send them around to play elsewhere in the middle of the league championship,” the 73-year-old added.
“Or they sign a waiver that for Afcon and the championships in South America [the Copa America], I cannot make them available to participate.”

The two Napoli players that had minutes in the 2021 Afcon played key roles for their nations. Koulibaly captained Senegal to the trophy while Anguissa played a key role in Cameroon’s third place finish.

The current rules of world governing body Fifa stipulate that players must be released for the Nations Cup despite its mid-season timing in Europe.

As things stand, the next edition of Afcon scheduled to take place in Ivory Coast will also take place in January after it was shifted from June 2023 to January 2024 due to Beth weather conditions in the month of June.