Scott McTominay's Contract Talks Stall Amid Health Concerns
Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has laid bare the uncertainty surrounding Scott McTominay’s future, admitting contract talks with the midfielder have stalled despite goodwill on both sides.
McTominay is tied to the club until 2028, yet an extension that once felt like a formality now sits in limbo.
“McTominay’s contract renewal? Scott said he doesn’t know if he’ll renew at this time,” Manna told DAZN, cutting through the speculation with blunt clarity. The message was clear: Napoli want to keep him, McTominay is open to staying, but the numbers and details are not falling into place.
“He has a two-year contract, we want to do it, and he wants to do it too. It’s not always easy to make things coincide, but we’re trying,” Manna added, hinting at the familiar tug-of-war that underpins elite-level negotiations.
Health scare and surgery in London
While the boardroom wrestles with the future, McTominay’s present is being dictated by a very different kind of concern.
The 29-year-old has undergone a medical procedure in London after being diagnosed with a mild benign arrhythmia, a condition that causes occasional irregular heartbeats. Napoli moved quickly once the issue was identified, scheduling the operation to limit disruption to their season and avoid any long-term risk.
Inside the club, there is confidence. The expectation is that McTominay will be back in full competitive action by mid-October, once doctors sign off his return.
McTominay has tried to steady nerves around the situation, playing down the severity of the procedure in public. Speaking at a recent awards ceremony, he said: “I’m fine, the procedure was something I’d planned to do with the club for quite a while.” No drama, no panic – just a planned intervention for a problem caught early.
Blow for Napoli and Scotland
The calendar, though, is unforgiving.
The timing of the surgery has already ruled McTominay out of Napoli’s 3-2 defeat to Inter Milan, a result that deepened the frustration around Massimiliano Allegri’s side and marked a second straight loss. Without their driving force in midfield, Napoli looked lighter in the engine room and paid the price.
His absence now stretches into a crucial spell. Arsenal, Bologna, Fiorentina – it is a run that demands authority and leadership in the middle of the pitch. McTominay usually supplies both. Napoli must find them elsewhere.
Scotland feel the hit just as hard. McTominay, capped 73 times and a symbol of the Tartan Army’s recent resurgence, will miss four key Nations League fixtures against Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia.
These matches open the Sebastien Pocognoli era. They were supposed to be built around the midfielder who dragged Scotland to the 2026 World Cup with decisive goals when it mattered most. Instead, the new head coach starts without his on-field reference point.
A strict, step-by-step recovery
Behind the scenes, Napoli have mapped out a detailed recovery plan.
“It will take 28 days for sporting fitness because he will take anticoagulant drugs,” Manna explained. The first fortnight after surgery is non-negotiable: total rest. No shortcuts, no early returns.
After that, McTominay will be allowed back into training, but only in a controlled, non-contact setting – light sessions, conditioning work, ball work without the risk of collisions. The final hurdle, full-contact football, will wait until specialists give absolute clearance, taking into account the effects of his medication.
For now, Napoli and Scotland must cope without a player who has become central to both dressing rooms, while McTominay balances contract uncertainty with the most important negotiation of all: the one with his own body and the clock ticking towards mid-October.
