Daniel Boga, the brother and agent of Sassuolo star Jeremie, has revealed that Napoli made numerous attempts to sign the Ivorian, however, the Emilia-Romagna didn't receive an offer close to their evaluation of the player.
The 23-year-old winger was one of the most-talked-about subjects during the summer transfer window in Serie A with others in Juventus, Roma and Inter Milan all linked with him.
Napoli were, however, the ones to make on official approach to Sassuolo for Boga but they failed to meet the club’s valuation of €30 million for the player who had a hand in 15 goals (11 goals, four assists) in the Italian top-flight, which led them to an incredible eighth-place finish.
Boga was also the league’s player with the most successful dribbles per game (3.9).
Boga’s agent and brother asserts there is still room for negotiations to happen between Sassuolo and Napoli in future.
“I don't know if Napoli will try to take him again, we have to ask [Napoli sporting director Cristiano] Giuntoli,” he told Il Martino.
“Napoli tried hard to take him, but Sassuolo didn't want to sell and wanted more money. It is not certain that in the future it cannot be otherwise.
"Relations with the club are excellent, it is not Napoli's fault if they didn't get him but Sassuolo who didn't want to sell him. We will certainly talk about it again in the future."
Boga was diagnosed with coronavirus in August and finally tested negative last week.
His brother says he has put the transfer saga behind him and is ready to focus on having another good season with Sassuolo, who are unbeaten after three Serie A rounds of the new season.
“He took the last test Monday and was negative twice with the swab. He feels good, he is back to work with the group,” Daniel said on Radio Marte.
“He should be back playing in a couple of weeks. Now the market is closed, he doesn't think about it anymore, he's concentrated on Sassuolo. The objective is to do better than he did last year, then when the market returns, we will see.”
Jeremie, speaking with Telefoot, also acknowledged Napoli’s interest in him and has committed to staying put with Sassuolo for this season.
“There have been several contacts with Napoli, but also with Rennes and other German clubs,” the former Chelsea player stated. “In the end, however, I decided to stay at Sassuolo.
“I confronted the club and we came to this conclusion. The club is ambitious and staying another year in Sassuolo is the right choice.”