Napoli refuse to buy back the loaned midfielder

Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker joined Napoli on loan at the end of January, but it seems we won't be seeing the Belgian in Naples next season.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Partenopei never had any intention of triggering a €10 million buyout clause on his contract, so the 28-year-old midfielder will return to Birmingham in the summer.

The non-seriousness of the intentions regarding Dendoncker is confirmed by the fact that Napoli did not include him in their Champions League bid, and the round of 16 matches against Barcelona were played without him.

It is also reported that the €10 million buyout clause was included rather tellingly, with the expectation that the centre-back would manage to shine in Napoli's line-up. But, that hasn't happened yet. Since joining Napoli, he has played 21 minutes in three matches without scoring a single goal.