Soccer-Napoli terminate contract with Mario Rui by mutual agreement

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - FC Barcelona v Napoli - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - March 12, 2024 Napoli's Mario Rui during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo

(Reuters) - Napoli and defender Mario Rui have mutually agreed to terminate the player's contract with immediate effect, the Serie A club said on Monday.

Former Portugal left-back Rui, who joined Napoli initially on loan from AS Roma in 2017, was tied with the club until June 2026 after signing an extension last year.

The 33-year-old, who played more than 170 games for Napoli in Serie A, was out of the favour since the arrival of coach Antonio Conte prior to the 2024-25 season.

(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by David Goodman and Pritha Sarkar)