Signed by Paris FC for €25 million, the Ivorian midfielder Patrick Zabi has still not started a Ligue 1 match. According to the Italian press, Napoli are interested in his profile.
Eight substitute appearances, one assist, no starts: Patrick Zabi’s first Ligue 1 season with Paris FC currently amounts to run-outs from the bench. Signed this summer from Reims for €25 million, according to Foot Mercato and ilnapolista, the 20-year-old midfielder has not yet been handed a start by Liam Rosenior, the Paris club’s head coach.
That limited playing time has not put off his suitors. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Gianluca Di Marzio, Sky Italia’s transfer journalist, Napoli are interested in the profile of the Ivorian midfielder, who is highly rated internally. Made in Foot and ilnapolista have relayed the information, which remains at the rumour stage.
Napoli looking for a midfielder and monitoring Zabi
Napoli’s midfield is in the treatment room: Anguissa, Vergara, McTominay and Lobotka are all four there, according to ilnapolista. The Italian club are therefore looking for reinforcements in midfield, and Zabi’s profile is among their interests. Napoli are also tracking Mamadou Coulibaly (Monaco) and Tylel Tati (Nantes), according to the same outlet and Made in Foot.
As for his qualities, TuttoMercatoWeb reports the words of sports agent Bruno Satin, who describes a very tall player with a distinctive physique and remarkable technical qualities.
From Yopougon to Paris FC
Born on 24 September 2006 in Yopougon, a district of Abidjan, Zabi came through the academy at Ivoire FC. It was in the “maracana”, the Ivorian six-a-side game, that he made his name, under the nickname “Zabi la Magie”.
Reims had signed him in January 2025 for around €100,000, according to L’Équipe, before selling him on for €25 million this summer. An enormous gap in the space of a few months, which makes him one of the most talked-about transfers in the Champagne club’s history.
On the pitch, Paris FC sit third in Ligue 1 after ten matchdays, three points behind PSG, according to footballdatabase.
A move to Napoli deemed impossible
Paris FC’s position on a possible departure for Zabi will be worth watching when the winter transfer window opens in January. On TuttoMercatoWeb, sports agent Bruno Satin already rules out the Naples hypothesis: according to him, a transfer to Napoli is not possible because the player “has just arrived”. He also believes Paris FC will make him an important part of the team.
The player and his club’s next outing is a trip to Brest on 27 November in Ligue 1.