Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says Raul Albiol deserves a smooth exit.

The defender is set to sign for Villarreal.

“We accepted Albiol's transfer request because we owed it to him," De Laurentiis told Radio Kiss Kiss.

“He had already asked to leave two years ago and we convinced him to remain. So I say thank you, farewell to your wife and splendid family, I am happy you are returning to your country.

“We can let him go because Vlad Chiriches, Nikola Maksimovic and Sebastiano Luperto have improved so much. However, if we need to take a few more steps, then we can do that and we're considering which direction to go in."