Napoli are prepared to cash in on Rafa Marín, with two foreign clubs monitoring the Spanish defender as the reigning champions reshape their backline.

According to AreaNapoli, relaying transfer journalist Nicolò Schira, Marín is “edging closer” to an exit, with a pair of overseas sides having already registered their interest.

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The willingness to sell is tied directly to Napoli’s incoming business: the club have reached a broad agreement with Chelsea to sign Benoît Badiashile on a loan with an option to buy, handing Massimiliano Allegri a centre-back of international pedigree.

CREMONA, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Arayik Eloyan of Armenia fights with Cher Ndour and Luca Marianucci of Italy during the UEFA Euro U21 Qualification match between Italy and Armenia at Stadio Giovanni Zini on October 14, 2025 in Cremona, Italy. (Photo by Marco M. Mantovani/Getty Images)

Marianucci’s rise clears the way for Rafa Marín exit at Napoli

On the face of it, letting Marín go looks a gamble given Napoli’s crowded treatment room. Alessandro Buongiorno is sidelined until January, while Sam Beukema is racing to be fit for the second league match, against Como. Yet the emergence of another option has changed the calculation.

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Luca Marianucci, signed from Empoli, is climbing Allegri’s pecking order fast, having started alongside Amir Rrahmani for 75 minutes in the 2-1 friendly win over Osasuna – a game from which Marín was left out, apparently as a precaution.

The Spaniard, a former Real Madrid academy product, has struggled to establish himself since arriving in 2024 and spent the back end of last season on loan at Villarreal.

With Badiashile poised to arrive and Marianucci impressing, sporting director Giovanni Manna appears ready to accelerate his departure, even as Napoli juggle the demands of an injury-hit defence and the need to keep balancing the books after the €30m sale of Miguel Gutiérrez to Bayer Leverkusen.