Napoli begin a 'new cycle' with Simeone's signing, says Spalletti

, a striker for Verona, is close to joining

.

Luciano Spalletti

has said that the Serie A club is starting a "new cycle" after several big names have left.

Spalletti's team came close to winning the Scudetto for the first time since Diego Maradona's time but fell off to finish third last season. Since then, players like Kalidou Koulibaly,

Dries Mertens

, and

have left the team.

Reports say Napoli will try to make up for losing Mertens and Insigne, the two players who have scored the most goals in the club's history, by getting Simeone on loan from Verona.

Last season, Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, scored 17 goals in Serie A. Only Ciro Immobile (27), Dusan Vlahovic (24), and

Lautaro Martinez

scored more goals (21). During the season, the Argentine scored a goal on average every 157 minutes and scored 55% of his big chances.

Spalletti said the striker would be coming soon before Napoli's Serie A opener against Verona on Monday. He promised to rebuild the Partenopei's team.

"If everything is fine, he will come; we are waiting for him. If you stay, say hello to him too!" Spalletti said this after hearing that Simeone was getting a physical at Napoli. We need him, and Naples is what he needs, so it's a good deal. We'll do our best right away, and I'm sure that, just like last year, the fans will fall in love with us again."

"Now, we talk about a Napoli team that doesn't have the best players anymore, and we talk about players for a new cycle. It's a big responsibility that keeps me very busy. Of course, the city and society need to help a little, but the most difficult things are how the changing room works."

"Without Faouzi Ghoulam, David Ospina, Dries Mertens, and Insigne, they changed. Aside from the rules of the game, there are also rules about the characters, and we have to make those there. I don't have any fears."

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