Antonio Conte made huge Scott McTominay admission days before midfielder targeted for huge summer transfer

Napoli coach Antonio Conte made a huge admission about star player Scott McTominay days before he attracted interest from other clubs.

The former Manchester United player was the key piece in midfield for Scudetto winners Napoli as he scored 13 goals and assisted four times for the team. He won the MVP of the Serie A for his contributions and was seen having a great time at the trophy parade in the city of Naples.

Napoli showed that they want to build on from their current success by signing Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City.

However, even with his arrival, McTominay is expected to play a key role in the team.

Coach Antonio Conte has used the player extremely well and build a great relationship with him.

But in his recent interview he revealed a key detail about the McTominay transfer that was not known before.

Conte reveals he was not sure McTominay would come to Napoli

Conte had been a coach of the Tottenham Hotspurs and often faced off against McTominay's former club United.

He stated that the Scottish midfielder was making impact when he played with them, but was not being used as a key player.

Speaking to Sky Sport, Conte further revealed: "Scott is a player whom I knew really well. He was born and raised at Manchester United.

"I could see that he always made an impact when he played, but at the same time, I noticed he wasn’t used as a key player at Manchester United.

"He was hardly a starter. Honestly, we had talked about it with [Napoli director] Giovanni Manna. He told me it was a possible solution.

“Sometimes, directors make up stories also to keep you calm. If you ask me: ‘Have you ever thought McTominay would surely arrive?’ I’d say no. Don’t forget we were heading into a season without European trophies to play for, so he had to leave Manchester United to start over with us.”

Conte's thoughts on the McTominay transfer comes just after he had been targeted by Al Hilal.

Highest rated players in Serie A last season:

◎ 7.26 - Scott McTominay
◎ 7.24 - Ademola Lookman
◎ 7.24 - Marcus Thuram
◎ 7.17 - Mateo Retegui
◎ 7.13 - Hakan Çalhanoğlu
◎ 7.13 - Lautaro Martínez pic.twitter.com/Vm9jzSuJ07

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) June 18, 2025

McTominay linked to Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League club are coached by Simone Inzaghi, who had been with Inter Milan before making the move.

Inzaghi's team finished behind Napoli in the Serie A standings and he very well knows what McTominay can do in midfield.

According to Alfredo Pedulla, Napoli immediately refused the proposal and stated that McTominay is not for sale.

The Scottish midfielder will certainly be a player to watch out once again next season and now with De Bruyne also on the team it will be interesting to see if Napoli can repeat as champions of the Serie A.