Lukaku urges De Bruyne to take on the role of 'protagonist' at Napoli

Romelu Lukaku has urged Kevin De Bruyne to be a "protagonist" at Napoli after his compatriot completed his switch to the Serie A champions last month. 

De Bruyne joined Napoli on a free transfer from Manchester City following the expiration of his contract, bringing his glittering 10-year stint at the Etihad to an end. 

The 34-year-old won 16 trophies with the club, including six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cup victories and five EFL Cups. 

He made 422 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring 108 goals and registering 170 assists. 

De Bruyne has the second-most assists in Premier League history (118), and became the quickest player to reach the 100-mark in the competition (237 games). 

The midfielder is a player that Lukaku knows well, with the pair playing together 79 times for Belgium, with De Bruyne assisting the Napoli striker for 16 goals in those matches.

And Lukaku revealed it took little convincing for De Bruyne to join Napoli, but believes his addition will help his team challenge for the Scudetto again in 2025-26. 

"I didn't have to give him any advice or convince him of anything. De Bruyne is a very down-to-earth guy, he's all about family," Lukaku told Sky Sport Italia. 

"I asked him to just be a protagonist at Napoli the same way he was at Manchester City and for Belgium. I am very happy he is here, but it was his decision to come here."

Lukau played a pivotal role in Napoli's title success last year, and was the only player in Serie A to post double figures for both goals (14) and assists (10). 

His 14 goals were his best scoring return in a single season in Europe's top five leagues since 2020-21 with Inter (24), when he also won the Scudetto under Antonio Conte. 

The opportunity to work with Conte was one of the many reasons De Bruyne decided to turn down more lucrative offers from the MLS and Saudi Pro League. 

But Lukaku quipped that it will be anything but easy for his compatriot under Conte, saying: "Conte is tougher than ever. 

"That's natural. He is a coach who always tries to improve himself and his players.

"This is our mantra: 'Always give your best' every single day. I think we are working well, but we all know that we can always do more too."

De Bruyne is one of seven new faces to arrive in Naples ahead of the new season, with Bologna's Sam Beukema the latest edition to Conte's squad. 

The Partenopei have also welcomed Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese, with the 24-year-old joining initially on loan with an obligation to buy for €26m. 

Lucca impressed last season, scoring 12 goals in 33 league outings, becoming the first Italian player to score that many times for Udinese since Kevin Lasagna in 2017-18 (12).

Indeed, he is also the youngest player among those with at least 20 goals in Serie A since the start of the 2023-24 campaign. 

And while Lucca has perhaps been brought into the club as an understudy to Lukaku, he suggested that may not be the case. 

"I am trying to help him out with tactical movements, because we have a lot of specific routines that he needs to learn," Lukaku added.

"He's a good lad and can really help us out, for example, with the way he attacks the penalty area.

"We have an extra weapon with him to defend the Scudetto, and he can help me out too if we play together, because we do have different characteristics. 

"Although, of course, that all depends on what the coach decides."