Omar El Kaddouri might celebrate his 25th birthday with a contract extension

First off, happy birthday to Omar El Kaddouri. The Moroccan midfielder turns 25 today, and in the midst of his first full preseason with Napoli in three years, he may have a little bit of something extra to celebrate: Napoli are set to give him a new contract.

According to various reports in Italy, Napoli and El Kaddouri's agent have all but finalized a new four-year contract worth about €850,000 per season, a slight increase on what he makes now. The offer represents a big shift in Napoli's valuation and plans for El Kaddouri -- early in the summer there were rumors that they'd tried to use him as a makeweight piece in several different transfer deals, and as recently as three weeks ago indications were that Maurizio Sarri didn't see him as part of the squad this season.

Obviously El Kaddouri has worked his tail off since then, though, featuring in all of Napoli pre-season friendlies and apparently impressing Sarri with the effort he put into improving his game. That effort paid off with a brace of goals against US Latina Calcio in Napoli's last friendly, which helped cement him as Lorenzo Insigne's backup at trequartista.

It's hard to get a better birthday present than to have it confirmed that you've made the team and earned a new contract. Congratulations, Omar, and may the next year be the best of your life.

È il compleanno di @OEKaddouri: auguri Omar! pic.twitter.com/OBpg27SOnN

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 20, 2015