Napoli president alleges a conspiracy between Bayern Munich and Juventus

Put on your tinfoil hats and strap in, ladies and gentlemen. This one’s gonna be a ride. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via AZ), Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claimed a conspiracy between Bayern Munich and Juventus had denied Napoli the signing of Amin Younes. The German was ready to join the Neapolitan club after completing his medical, but was advised against it by someone “close” to Germany coach Joachim Löw (Football Italia).

Ergo, here’s what De Laurentiis said:

There’s a triangular relationship between the Germans, friends of friends, and their friends. Think about it: Bayern, Juventus, ECA, UEFA. Understand?

No, we don’t, Aurelio.

This laughable bit of blabber comes as Napoli continue to feel the heat from a relentless Juventus onslaught beneath them in the table. De Laurentiis presumably wanted to change the subject. “Presumably” being the key word here, because no one can really know what he thinks. He might even have a point—Bayern and Juventus really like to do business with each other. No fewer than four players have been exchanged between the clubs in the last couple of years, the most recent being Douglas Costa. Despite this, any claims of a conspiracy are far-fetched, to say the least.

Juventus Director Beppe Marotta was rather measured in his reply:

We know that this is only a trap we have to deal with every year. What others say about us doesn’t touch us - at most, it gives us even more motivation. Ironically, I would have to call De Laurentiis a great man of the cinema, a joker. If I wanted instead to be serious, I’d quote a phrase by the German philosopher Schopenhauer: ‘Every man sees in another no more than what he himself is.’ I think that says it all.

Well there we have it folks. De Laurentiis is an agent of chaos. Let’s move on with our lives.