Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said captain Marek Hamsik has joined Dalian Yifang of the Chinese Super League.
De Laurentiis, speaking ahead of Napoli's Europa League game against Zurich on Thursday, said Hamsik “has gone.”
No financial details were released but local media reports say Dalian paid 20 million euros for Hamsik, who signed a three-year contract worth 9 million euros a year.
De Laurentiis says, “If it's a 'goodbye' or a 'see you later' depends only on him. I hope we have the chance at the end of the Chinese season to have him back for a proper goodbye to the fans.”
Hamsik, 31, joined Napoli in 2007 and scored a record 121 goals for the club, surpassing the 115 goals scored by Diego Maradona in December 2017.
He also made 520 appearances, the most in club history, and has made a record 111 appearances for Slovakia.
