Rasmus Hojlund forces Napoli into player sales

The permanent transfer of Rasmus Hojlund to Napoli is now forcing the club into a major squad overhaul after the club committed significant funds to complete his signing from Manchester United.

At first glance, Napoli’s transfer business appears to have slowed, but the reality is very different. The club have already spent heavily this summer, with Hojlund’s deal representing one of the biggest financial commitments.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli have already invested around €70 million in completed business and must now reduce the size of their squad by selling a significant number of players to balance the books.

Napoli need departures after major spending

Following their UEFA Champions League qualification, Napoli were obliged to complete several previously agreed transfers, including Hojlund’s permanent move from Manchester United.

The Serie A champions had already paid an initial €6 million when signing the Danish striker on loan following Romelu Lukaku’s injury.

This summer they transferred a further €44 million to Manchester United, taking the total value of the deal to €50 million.

Napoli have also completed the permanent signing of Alisson Santos after activating an earlier agreement with Sporting CP, while Lorenzo Lucca has arrived from Udinese in a deal structured through deferred payments across multiple financial years.

Although those transfers have strengthened Antonio Allegri’s attacking options, they have also significantly increased Napoli’s financial commitments ahead of the new campaign.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has already admitted that Napoli need to trim their squad, with sporting director Giovanni Manna now tasked with finding new clubs for a large number of players currently on the wage bill.

The report states that Napoli began July with 47 senior players under contract and are aiming to offload around 25 of them before the transfer window closes.

While Rasmus Hojlund is not personally responsible for those departures, the scale of his €50 million transfer, alongside Napoli’s other expensive commitments, has increased the urgency for player sales as the Italian champions look to balance their finances while continuing to strengthen the squad.