Scott McTominay's Contract Talks Stalled Amid Health Concerns

Napoli sporting director Mauro 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 weeks of speculation. The message was clear: Napoli want him to stay, McTominay is open to staying, but the numbers and the timing 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 said, underlining how even a shared intention can get tangled in the realities of elite football.

Health scare and a race against the calendar

While the boardroom wrestles with clauses and figures, McTominay’s immediate battle is far more personal.

The 29-year-old has undergone a planned medical procedure in London after being diagnosed with a mild benign arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart occasionally slips out of its normal rhythm. Napoli moved quickly, opting for surgery designed to limit the disruption to their season and keep one of their most influential players available for the run-in.

Inside the club, there is confidence he will be back in full competitive action by mid-October.

McTominay has done his best to keep the mood calm. Speaking at a recent awards ceremony, he played down the alarm around his condition and stressed the long-term planning behind the decision. “I’m fine, the procedure was something I’d planned to do with the club for quite a while,” he said, framing it as a proactive step rather than a crisis response.

Napoli feel the void

The timing still hurts.

McTominay has already missed Napoli’s chaotic 3-2 defeat to Inter Milan, a result that piled pressure on Massimiliano Allegri and marked a second straight loss for his side. Without the Scot patrolling midfield, Napoli’s engine room looked lighter, less secure, and the sense of vulnerability was hard to ignore.

His absence now stretches into a demanding spell. Arsenal, Bologna, Fiorentina: three very different tests, all with high stakes. McTominay is the sort of player managers build game plans around, a reference point in and out of possession. Allegri must now improvise.

Scotland stripped of a leader

The damage is not confined to club football.

For Scotland, losing McTominay at this moment is a brutal blow. The midfielder has amassed 73 caps and grown into a cornerstone of the Tartan Army’s modern identity, a player who delivers in the biggest moments and relishes the responsibility.

He will sit out four crucial Nations League matches against Slovenia, Switzerland, and North Macedonia, fixtures that open the Sebastien Pocognoli era. These are not gentle friendlies; they are the first real tests for a new head coach trying to put his stamp on a side that McTominay helped drag to the 2026 World Cup with decisive goals in qualifying.

Pocognoli must now start his tenure without one of his most trusted weapons.

A meticulous road back

Behind the scenes, Napoli have mapped out a strict recovery programme. Manna outlined a carefully staged return, built around medical caution rather than sporting desperation.

For the first two weeks after surgery, McTominay will do nothing. Total rest. No shortcuts, no early sprints, just time for the body to settle and heal.

“It will take 28 days for sporting fitness because he will take anticoagulant drugs,” Manna explained. “For two weeks, the player will rest and then resume competitive activity without contact.”

Once that initial phase passes, McTominay can step back onto the training pitch, but only in a controlled environment: non-contact work, light drills, conditioning, and ball work without the risk of collisions. The final green light for full-contact football will depend on medical clearance and the management of his medication.

Napoli know what is at stake. So do Scotland. A contract in limbo, a heart condition under control, and a month-long countdown to see whether one of Europe’s most combative midfielders can return on schedule and pick up the rhythm he briefly lost.