An intermediary claims Aurelio De Laurentiis pulled the plug on Andriy Lunin’s proposed switch to Napoli.

Lunin had been heavily linked with Napoli but went on to join Real Madrid in a €12.5m deal, and Beppe Galli explained the breakdown stemmed from De Laurentiis’ reluctance to sanction a sell-on clause for Zorya.

“Lunin to Real Madrid is an investment for the future,” he told CalcioNapoli24.

“Giuntoli and I had done great work in no time: there were other teams who wanted Lunin. Two days later, he called me and told me to come forward.

“The deal between Napoli and Zorya had been closed for a month, before De Laurentiis returned from the United States: then he came back and the deal collapsed, the Zorya President wanted a percentage of his resale and Napoli patron wouldn’t grant it.

“De Laurentiis had made a good offer, which included a bonus after two years in case of him not being sold on, but Zorya wanted a percentage of his resale.

“Everyone has their own way of conducting themselves, and De Laurentiis doesn’t like giving sell-on clauses to clubs.

“Lunin would’ve cost €8m plus another €8m in bonuses. I’m sorry that the deal didn’t go through, but it had been struck by Giuntoli and Zorya.

“He’s a young man with quality and potential, eventually signed by Real Madrid, who aren’t the worst team in the world…”