Edinson Cavani will not return to Napoli from Paris Saint-Germain, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said.
The Uruguay international enjoyed three strong seasons at the San Paolo before moving to the Ligue 1 champions for a reported fee of €64million in 2013.
Cavani, 29, endured a poor personal performance in PSG's 3-0 win over Metz last week and speculation has seen him linked with a move back to his old stomping ground in Serie A.
But De Laurentiis is keen to put faith in Napoli's young players rather than turn to an old fan favourite, despite the blow of losing Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus for €90m last month.
7 - Edinson Cavani has made 7 shots tonight, more than any other player but he has failed to find the back of the net. Block.August 21, 2016
"I'm a big admirer of Edinson Cavani," he said via the club's official website. "We had great fun during his time with Napoli. He scored many beautiful goals - 104!
"But it's difficult to bring a player to Napoli who we have had in the past.
"It's not that it would seem like reheated soup, but that Napoli evolves tournament by tournament and takes on several different ways of playing.
"That's why I always say we need young players, and the new arrivals who have come in already will contribute greatly to Napoli's success.
"If we talk about strikers, players like [Arkadiusz] Milik and [Manolo] Gabbiadini have great a great chance of becoming superstars at Napoli.
"We are responsible for the future of the team and shouldn't make transfers just for the effect it would have. We don't need to enchant anyone. The fans are with us by faith, not because of the players we choose."
