Napoli suffer 1-4 defeat to Porto, De Bruyne's argument sparks departure speculation

Napoli suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to Porto in the Champions League, a result that not only struck a blow to the team but also exposed a rift in the locker room, where patience seems to be wearing thin. De Bruyne's future is now uncertain after he argued with teammate Lorenzo Lucca towards the end of the match. In Italy, there is already speculation that he might leave the club just months after joining.

The incident occurred minutes before the end of the bitter loss to the Portuguese team, when the Belgian criticized Lorenzo Lucca for his positioning during an attack. The forward responded with repeated insults and approached him for a face-to-face confrontation, but the situation did not escalate further.

However, this was not the former Manchester City player's first clash with a teammate. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he also had a disagreement with Denmark's Højlund during a training session and an argument with captain Di Lorenzo in a match.

Politano also shared his thoughts after the defeat at the Estádio do Dragão: "I wish other teammates would step up to explain occasionally, instead of always us Italians." Although he later clarified that he did not intend to attack anyone, his words fueled external speculation about internal dissatisfaction.

In addition to locker room friction, De Bruyne's high salary is another factor: the new signing earns close to 6 million euros annually. Considering injuries and disagreements with Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri, this investment has not truly paid off. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, to alleviate the wage burden, his departure might be evaluated in the winter transfer window, but negotiations have not yet been confirmed.

Massimiliano Allegri's team is also struggling on the pitch. Napoli has only 15 points after 11 Serie A rounds, ranking tenth and trailing league leaders Lazio by 14 points. The team's recent form is also reflected in their latest results: only 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses in their last 5 matches.

But in European competitions, the situation is even more concerning. Napoli ranks 27th in the Champions League group stage, with only 3 points from 4 matches, out of a possible 12. Their only win was a 4-3 victory over Bodo Glimt; they also lost to Arsenal 1-0, Villarreal 3-1, and the aforementioned Porto 4-1.

After 3 losses in 4 matches, the Italian team has fallen out of the qualification zone for the next stage, but they still have 4 matches remaining to turn things around.

In terms of individual statistics, De Bruyne has scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist in 11 league matches. Although he still has an impact on the team, his performance has not been enough to reverse this negative trend, putting more pressure on the head coach.