Report: Faouzi Ghoulam to sign new contract next week

This has been a rather frustrating summer for Napoli so far, with limited transfer activity both incoming and outgoing. But with the Serie A season set to start this weekend, Napoli are getting one dose of good news, with reports that Faouzi Ghoulam is set to sign a new contract extension.

The reports come from Radio Kiss Kiss in Naples, who say that terms have been agreed between Ghoulam’s representatives and Napoli themselves. Financial terms haven’t been leaked yet, but it’s expected that Ghoulam will receive a significant increase over wages that saw him be paid some €1.6 million per season.

That contract was signed just a year and a half ago and ran until 2021, so re-signing Ghoulam now is a real statement of intent from Napoli to keep the skilled core of their team together for as long as possible. Ghoulam is 26 years old, in the heart of his prime, and has been part of the squad since January of 2014, and in those two and a half seasons he’s gone front an interesting young player to one of the best left backs in Europe.

For the last year or so, Ghoulam has been regularly linked with transfers away from Naples, mostly to teams like Chelsea or Arsenal, but to a few other notable sides as well, including periodic links to Paris Saint-Germain. Despite that, Faouzi Ghoulam will, if this report is true, be signing his third contract tying him to Napoli for the long-term, affirming that he’s joined the rest of Napoli’s core in having a real, long-term commitment to the club.