Issa Doumbia, Juventus and Napoli battle for his signature: the huge release clause and talks held, agent speaks out

Issa Doumbia, born in 2003 and a player for Italy and Sporting Lisbon, has attracted interest from Napoli and Juventus. His agent has revealed that contact has been made, but the cost could prove prohibitive for the Italian clubs.

Issa Doumbia is making his mark among Italian football's young players this season. The former AlbinoLeffe and Venezia player joined Sporting Lisbon for 23 million plus bonuses last summer and has impressed in the Portuguese league, the Champions League and for Italy. Head coach Roberto Mancini brought him on in the second half against France, and Doumbia made a positive contribution.

THE CALL FROM MANNA

Doumbia's agent, Cheikh Sadibou, spoke about him today in an interview with Stile TV: "His development is going really well both with his club and with the national team, where you can see that Mancini believes in him. Napoli have called me, but it's not the first time I've heard from Manna. He already wanted him when he was sporting director at Juventus Next Gen. But we've never gone beyond an informal chat; no offers have ever come in."

JUVENTUS ARE ALSO INTERESTED, BUT WHAT A RELEASE CLAUSE!

Doumbia has a contract with Sporting Lisbon until 2031 and a release clause of 80 million. That figure is beyond the reach of Napoli and any Italian club, but Napoli hope to win over the player before opening talks with the Portuguese club to at least halve the price. Juventus have the same plan, raising the prospect of another transfer battle with Napoli as the two clubs are already competing to sign Gustavo Varela, the Portuguese Monza striker born in 2005.