Kostas Manolas returns to Olympiakos from Napoli

Napoli centre-back Kostas Manolas has agreed to return to Greece. The player will be registered by Olympiakos in the January transfer window. According to reports in Italy, he has already completed his medicals for the transfer. 

According to renowned transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, a €2-3 million fee has been put in place for the defender. He has only played seven games across all competitions, and has been struggling for game time under Luciano Spalletti. 

Formerly of Roma, Manolas was considered a prolific defender and made the move to Napoli in 2019. The Azzurri paid €36 million for him at the time, but he has since failed to live up to the price tag under Carlo Ancelotti, Gennaro Gattuso and now, Luciano Spalletti. 

Why has Manolas been sold to Olympiakos? 

The defender has made 42 appearances for the Greek national team. He made his debut in 2013 as a 21-year-old and most recently featured for them in 2019. His last appearance came in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein. 

Napoli are currently in fourth place in the Serie A table, but are in contention for the Scudetto. Manolas pushed for the transfer for personal reasons, and will be earning half his wages at Napoli. He played for Olympiakos between 2012 and 2014, and will feature for the Greek club once more. 

The player will be returning to Italy soon, though, since Olympiakos will face Atalanta in the knockout stages of the Europa League. Napoli are eyeing Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez and Torino’s Bremer as possible replacements for Manolas.