According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli made multiple attempts to sign Pio Esposito, but Inter Milan never allowed him to leave.

Napoli did make efforts, as they tried to sign Pio at several different points. As his agent Mario Giuffredi revealed, De Laurentiis was the first president to ask me about him. At the time, Pio was playing for Spezia, and De Laurentiis did everything possible to bring him to the Maradona Stadium. However, Inter Milan never opened the door for negotiations.