David Ospina will complete his permanent move to Napoli after the Copa America and he is helping talk James Rodriguez, his brother-in-law, into joining the Italians with him.

david ospina v forest

Arsenal have somehow managed to convince Napoli to pay up to €4.8m for David Ospina despite the Italians wanting to drive his price down as much as possible.

Last weekend it was reported that Arsenal and Napoli finally found an agreement for the transfer of David Ospina with the Italians paying the amount stipulated in his loan agreement.

Over recent weeks the David Ospina-to-Napoli saga had become farcical. They benched him after 24 games so that they wouldn’t be obligated to buy him if he played 25, despite saying all season they wanted to do just that.

Then they tried to drive his price down. Now they are just paying a little more than has been reported all summer so far.

Quite what all the fuss was about is beyond me. I mean, it’s only David Ospina.

It is unlikely there will be any announcement from either club before Colombia are finished in the Copa America, and that includes any news about the transfer of James from Real Madrid to Napoli.

Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the player who spent two years on loan with Bayern Munich, but Ospina is trying to get him to move to Naples.

Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, David Ospina said about James, “We know the value of James and what he can represent. It would be great to be able to count on him to achieve the goals we have.

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 03: James Rodriguez of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Sport-Club Freiburg at Allianz Arena on November 3, 2018 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 03: James Rodriguez of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Sport-Club Freiburg at Allianz Arena on November 3, 2018 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

“So let’s see … we’re waiting for him to make his decision. And we hope it’s the best decision for him.

He knows this is a great team, and he’d like to come. He has to make the decision for his life and his career, and that is the best decision.”

He was then asked if he was helping Napoli sign him and he replied, laughing, “Oh yes … we hope. We are helping, let’s see what we can do. But it is James who makes the decision.

“I think he’s focused on the Copa America now. I think it’s more likely after the Copa. If something happens before it would be great.”