De Laurentiis: Messi to Napoli is the dream
442 Staff - Wednesday 11 July 2012, 14:38
Napoli president Auerlio De Laurentiis has revealed it is his dream to see Lionel Messi play for the Serie A side.
The charismatic supremo is keen to see the Naples side strengthen their front-line this summer following the departure of Ezequiel Lavezzi to Paris Saint-Germain.
De Laurentiis has not always spoken fondly of the Barcelona forward, branding him a ‘cretin’ following Argentina’s disappointing 2011 Copa America campaign.
However, the 63-year-old appears to have changed his mind, admitting he would love to see the 25-year-old turn out at Stadio San Paolo.
"My dream is [Lionel] Messi," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "He doesn't even have a tattoo. He's a footballing dream, and is very cinematic."
De Laurentiis confirmed he is looking for Napoli to secure a third successive top-five finish in the upcoming Serie A campaign.
"I said this last year and will repeat it: we must finish in the top five in the league," he continued.
"The problem is that the quality of our football was so high that it was hard to win against a less noble team.
"I don't have a particular goal, we will try to do our best on every front."