Napoli don’t yet know whether Antonio Conte will stay, although the inklings aren’t too optimistic, but that’s not slowing them down on the transfer market. They are one step away from signing Kevin De Bruyne. The agreement with the Manchester City legend could be sealed on Wednesday. Their offer consists of a two-year contract with €5.5M wages, a €10M signing bonus, and an option for another campaign, La Gazzetta dello Sport relays.
The Partenopei don’t expect surprises and are eyeing a few more midfielders. They are ready to rekindle their pursuits of Lewis Ferguson and Kenneth Taylor. Bologna and Ajax are tough bargainers, though.
Napoli will also touch up their attack and are tussling primarily with Juventus to bring in Jonathan David on a Bosman move. They’ll have a better chance to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in the summer. Their interest has cooled off a little. PSV’s Noa Lang is still on their radar.
Per Alfredo Pedullà, the Azzurri are keen on Mattia Zaccagni, who has a long-term contract with Lazio, and Francesco Pio Esposito. Inter handed him an extension during the winter, but they could discuss his sale for €25/30M. Darwin Nunez is the main fallback plan up front, while Sam Beukema tops their defensive shortlist.
They’ll need to build some depth in basically every position, and the more cost-effective purchases they can make, the merrier. There’s also some strategic leaking while they still have a chance to convince Conte. But, should he go to join Juventus, it wouldn’t be because of strictly football-related matters, as he’s a great spot in Campania, arguably better than in his possible destination.
