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As recently as yesterday, it looked as if frozen-out midfielder Davy Klaassen was headed to Napoli, where he would join the current leaders of Serie A. That no longer seems to be the case.
Napoli pull out of Klaassen talks over image rights issue and fact he's cup-tied in Europa League, according to Sky Italia. No takers? #efc
— Paul Brown (@pbsportswriter) January 31, 2018
Davy Klaassen's proposed move to Napoli isn't going to happen. He was the subject of interest from Lazio, too, but is prepared to fight for his place at Everton
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) January 31, 2018
It’s more than a little strange a team the size of Napoli did not realize that Klaassen was cup-tied prior to registering an inquiry, particularly given that his main purpose would have likely been giving Marek Hamsik a rest in attacking midfield.
There was also some talk about image rights creating an issue with the deal - club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is a renowned film producer in Italy - a possible Mauro Icardi transfer fell through in the past over this as well.
Either way, as Dominic King notes, Klaassen has retained a good attitude throughout this taxing process, and it looks like he’ll remain on Everton’s books through at least the remainder of the season.
Who knows - maybe the Dutchman can find some game time, be it a spot start or off the bench. Goodness knows that Everton need some goals, and if Klaassen’s career to date has taught us anything, he definitely has a few in his locker.