The Delfini supremo claims the highly-rated playmaker was set to join the Partenopei until his representatives thrashed out last-minute move to PSG
Pescara president Daniele Sebastiani has revealed that he had a agreed a deal with Napoli for Marco Verratti to move to the San Paolo last summer before Paris Saint-Germain lured the player to Parc des Princes.
The gifted playmaker had initially been expected to join Juventus before the Partenopei threw their hat into the ring at the end of last season, only for the French side to swoop and beat both sides to his signature.
“The deal was completed in 10 minutes,” the Delfini supremo explained in an interview with Il Mattino.
“[Aurelio] De Laurentiis said to me: ‘We’re closing this today. I’ll take him’. Someone had promised him to Juve, but I spent one night convincing him to go to Napoli.
“Unfortunately, things took a different turn and the agents closed [a deal] with PSG.”
The 20-year-old, who has been capped three times at senior level by Italy, is a product of Pescara’s youth team.