Napoli send Dendoncker back to Aston Villa | OneFootball

Napoli are set to return Leander Dendoncker to Aston Villa without activating the €9m option to buy, while Alex Meret’s clause has activated.

The Partenopei brought in Dendoncker in the January transfer window on a six-month loan with an option to buy at the end of the season for €9m.

He turns 29 next month, but made only three Serie A appearances for Napoli for a grand total of 21 minutes on the field.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Napoli have decided not to activate the option to buy for €9m.

Meanwhile, Napoli have activated the clause to extend goalkeeper Meret’s contract to June 2025.

However, he will now have to negotiate a new deal with increased raise or be set for an exit in the summer to avoid the risk of leaving as a free agent.

The Partenopei have already fallen into that trap with Piotr Zielinski, who is set to join Inter for free in July.