Astori not on his way to Napoli

It comes as little surprise to anyone that's been following negotiations between Cagliari and Napoli for the past couple seasons, but it seems Davide Astori won't join the partenopei after all. Italian media are reporting that Cagliari director of sport, Nicola Salerno, stated after a meeting with Napoli that Astori won't be joining the club.

While I refuse to believe players have actually transferred clubs until I see them holding their new shirt, there's not a definite line denoting when to state a player won't join a club. Right now, these are just rumors noting that the defender isn't going to come to Naples. But tomorrow, the rumors just might turn again.

Napoli fans can hope, anyway. Anyone who's watched any preseason matches knows that the team has failed to improve on last season's defensive frailties. Having a quality center back with Serie A experience would go a long way to easing worries about the back line.