Mario Rui 'might not stay at Napoli'

By Football Italia staff

On-loan Roma full-back Mario Rui’s agent warns he has “already made a decision” on his future. “There’s nothing to say he will remain at Napoli.”

The 26-year-old made the move to the Stadio San Paolo over the summer for €3.75m on loan with option to buy, turning into an obligation with certain circumstances for another €5.5m.

Mario Rui was on target in last night’s 5-0 victory away to Cagliari, curling in a splendid free kick.

“I don’t think it was his best performance in a Napoli jersey, as he had many important games in recent months. That simply had a goal in it and therefore received more attention,” agent Mario Giuffredi told RMC Sport.

“He’s always had a great foot for free kicks, so if they give him the chance to take a few more, he’ll grow in confidence and that can become an extra weapon for the team.

“Roma have always behaved fairly with Mario and it was us who asked for him to be released when Napoli made an offer. He will face Saturday’s game with the desire to amaze.”

It’s fair to say that Rui has only recently been given playing time by Maurizio Sarri due to Faouzi Ghoulam’s injury.

“It is irritating to say he is Ghoulam’s understudy, as Mario Rui is second to nobody. He is a first choice player in a big club and can in future be first choice at other big clubs. There’s nothing to say he will remain at Napoli, because many things can happen in life.

“I repeat: there is nothing to say he’ll remain at Napoli. There are few full-backs out there with his quality and with what he’s doing now, we could see a big splash on the transfer market.

“We had already made a decision on his future on November 1, so we already know what we want to do for next season. Right now, the important thing is to do well on the pitch.

“There is no agreement with other clubs, but in the first few months Mario Rui was torn to shreds and many times the criticism was offensive. When unfortunately Ghoulam was injured, then he had the chance to prove his worth.

“I won’t talk about the transfer market now, but if you ask me what we’ll do next year, I tell you it has all been decided back in November.”

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