Napoli appear to have changed their mind and are now going to keep David Ospina at the end of the season.
Over the weekend it seemed like Arsenal could find themselves still in charge of one David Ospina when the season ended as the Italians reportedly looked to get out of their obligation to buy the player.
The Colombian has impressed during his time in Naples and proved himself more than an adequate replacement for Alex Meret who suffered a broken arm.
Over Xmas there was talk that Napoli would activate their buy clause in Ospina’s loan contract early to make the deal permanent but, then, it was reported they changed their mind.
Now, according to manager Carlo Ancelotti, they’ve changed it back if they ever changed it in the first place.
Carlo Ancelotti has announced that David Ospina will stay at SSC Napoli at the end of the season. Goalkeeper is on loan from Arsenal https://t.co/fpzrK8DZMu
— Claudio Russo (@claudioruss) February 17, 2019
The above quote says that Ospina will stay ‘regardless’ of the number of appearances he makes.
It wasn’t just idle gossip that they were not going to take Ospina on a permanent deal, the Colombian himself spoke about it.
“I knew this might happen,” Ospina told Radio Blu. “My current situation is that I am on loan for this season and there’s a clause based on the number of games, so if I play regularly, it’ll become an automatic purchase.
“When the situation doesn’t depend on me, all I can do is wait for the decisions to be made by Napoli. The club had just spent a lot of money on Meret, a young goalkeeper with a great future ahead of him, so I knew that when he came back from injury, this might happen.
“He’s a great ‘keeper, a lovely guy and he’ll make a real name for himself in future.”
No matter what happens, a return to Arsenal is not on the cards for the 30-year-old who could return to South America.
“I want to continue playing in Europe, although a return to South American football is always a possibility. I am open for a move closer to home.
“For now we have to take advantage of the opportunity in Europe, the illusion of playing for a team in South America will always be there, and, after that, God will put me where I need to be,” he added.
Ospina has 17 appearances in all competitions. The purchase option kicks in after 25 and Arsenal will receive another €4m. Napoli have already paid €1m for Ospina’s season on loan.