Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne has said that he is living his boyhood dream of playing for his hometown club.

The 21-year-old has been drafted into Walter Mazzarri's first team for the 2012-13 season and is expected to fill the void left by the departure of Ezequiel Lavezzi to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

Insigne, who was born in Naples and developed at Napoli's youth academy, said that he is looking forward to playing in Serie A for the Azzurri.

"I am quite shy," he told Corriere del Mezzogiorno. "When I don't know people, I tend to push them away. I understand the fans are passionate and want to be close to you, so it'll take me a while to get used to it.

"My city is always the same. I'm glad to note that, as playing football here is different to in any other town. This is part of the joy.

"I made so many sacrifices to get here and become a professional player as right from childhood my only objective was to play football. My family helped this happen and I will always be grateful."

Napoli finished fifth in Serie A last season and will aim to break into the top three in the table at least this campaign.