Portuguese Liga

Agent: Rolando interested in Napoli

December 28, 2012
By Press Association

The agent of Porto defender Rolando has revealed his client would be interested in joining Serie A club Napoli.

The Azzurri are expected to be on the lookout for a new defender in January after Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava were handed six-month bans for failing to report attempted match-fixing, while veteran full back Salvatore Aronica is closing in on a move to Palermo.

Rolando, 27, has played a key role for the Portuguese champions since leaving Belenenses in 2008, helping the Dragons to three league titles, three Portuguese Cups and an Europa League trophy.

"He would definitely like to play in Naples," Joao Jose Santos Cardoso da Silva told Radio CRC, according to Corriere dello Sport.

"Rolando is a smart guy and he knows that Italy has one of the best leagues in the world and that Napoli are a great team. If the club and (president Aurelio) De Laurentiis were to make an offer than Rolando would definitely want to play in blue," he said. "It would take about eight or 10 million euros ($10.5 million or $13.2 million) to capture Rolando."

The Cape Verde-born defender is also a full Portugal international and featured in all three of his country's group-stage matches at Euro 2012.