De Laurentiis eyes Igli Tare to replace Giovanni Manna as Napoli sporting director

President losing faith in current sporting chief

Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly not fully convinced by Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna and is considering Igli Tare as a possible replacement. According to Calciomercato.it, the Napoli president has doubts about the work of the former Juventus executive, who joined the Partenopei in 2024.

The uncertainty comes at a deeply uncomfortable moment for the club. Napoli sit ninth in Serie A after their worst start to a season in 17 years, with an expensively assembled attack having scored just five goals despite costing around €200m.

Allegri under pressure despite European relief

Tuesday's 4-3 Champions League win over Bodø/Glimt eased some of the pressure, but Massimiliano Allegri's position also remains under scrutiny, with his future said to depend on results before the November international break.

The strain on the project had been building for some time. Prior coverage on October 22 noted Napoli had taken 10 points from their opening seven league games — their worst start since Roberto Donadoni's side in 2009-10 — amid discontent among players with expiring contracts and questions over coaching decisions.

A familiar face for Allegri

Tare, who left Milan in May, is the name being considered to take over in the director's chair. The Albanian spent 15 years as Lazio's sporting director before joining Milan in 2025, where he worked alongside Allegri. The pair tried to sign Ousmane Doumbia together at Milan, and Allegri made another attempt for the midfielder after moving to Napoli, suggesting a pre-existing working relationship that could be rebuilt in Campania.

Manna, by contrast, oversaw an expensive rebuild of the squad, but several signings have yet to deliver the expected return. Calciomercato.it suggests there could be further developments in the coming weeks as De Laurentiis weighs whether to reshape the football operation.