Everton Soares’ agent has confirmed Napoli’s interest in the Gremio winger but warned that talk of a deal being close to completion is ‘exaggerated’.
Everton’s father revealed earlier in the week that Napoli had ‘presented a project’ to his son, while it was reported just yesterday that the Partenopei had been granted permission to hold talks with the 24-year-old.
Everton Soares’ agent has confirmed Napoli’s interest in the Gremio winger but warned that talk of a deal being close to completion is ‘exaggerated’.
Everton’s father revealed earlier in the week that Napoli had ‘presented a project’ to his son, while it was reported just yesterday that the Partenopei had been granted permission to hold talks with the 24-year-old.
However, Marcio Cruz told CalcioNapoli24: “I’ve read a lot of news doing the rounds and the first thing I want to say is that the press is exaggerating things.
“I don’t know why that is… There are even those who are already saying that Everton is a Napoli player.
“The truth is that the Italian club is interested, [their interest] is real. Talks have started, yes, but the latest development came a month ago.
“The player would accept [Napoli’s offer] with great enthusiasm because they play in an important league and they’re a club with great tradition and fantastic fans.
“He knows well what they’re about, as do all of us who work in football. We’re talking about a team who have fought for the Scudetto in recent years and have regularly qualified for the Champions League.
“But to say that Everton is impatient because everything’s already been agreed, no, it’s not true.
“Something can happen, I admit it, but further down the line. The timing, partly because of coronavirus, hasn’t ripened yet.
“Napoli opened talks with Gremio several weeks ago, talks that were probably stopped because of the health emergency.
“Let’s wait a bit and see. Maybe now that the waters are calming down can we start to negotiate again.
“It’s not my place to discuss figures. We must ask Gremio, who have already expressed their own ideas.
“We await updates, should an agreement be found between the two clubs, but the current situation, I repeat, isn’t helping.
“Napoli won’t be able to plan like they could in normal circumstances, and we still don’t know when the league will resume or the dates of the transfer window.”
On the other hand, Cruz assured his client would not encounter problems adapting to Italian football like Milan midfielder Lucas Paqueta has.
“No, honestly, this isn’t a problem for us. Each player has their own story. It’s a matter of character, adaptation and circumstances.
“If we’re going by Paqueta, we should also look at the many Brazilians who have made their mark on Serie A.
“In terms of age and characteristics, I’m of the opinion that Everton is perfect for European football.
“Unsurprisingly, in addition to interest from Italian clubs, German and English teams have also been in touch.
“Napoli aside, he’s ready to listen to any offer that should come from the Old Continent.”