Napoli's president has made a shock claim regarding African players, stating that he will now only buy players from the continent on one condition.
Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of Gli Azzurri, has stated that he does not intend to sign another African star while he is in charge of the club unless they sign a document that will exempt them from participating at the Africa Cup of Nations.
"I told them lads, don't talk to me about Africans anymore!" De Laurentiis said during a live-streamed event, as per Football Italia.
"I love them, but either they sign something confirming they'll back out of playing the Africa Cup of Nations, or otherwise between that tournament, the World Cup qualifiers in South America, these players are never available!
"We are the idiots who pay salaries only to send them all over the world playing for others."
Some of Africa's biggest names call Naples home, with Victor Osimhen of Nigeria and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa of Cameroon prominent figures for both the club and their countries.
Former Napoli captain Kalidou Koulibaly participated in the African continental showpiece earlier this year to help Senegal capture their first ever AFCON title, albeit at the expense of his club's title charge.
The issue of Africa's most prominent tournament being held in the middle of the European season is not a new one, but due to the continent's unfavourable weather conditions in June and July, CAF see January as the best time to host the competition.
While De Laurentiis will likely suffer severe backlash over his comments, his manager Luciano Spalletti was also not happy with the timing of AFCON earlier this year, referring to the tournament as an "invisible monster".
