Plans Already Underway For Napoli’s Summer Transfer Market

Written By Onyeka Daniel

After the failure of last season that saw them fall flat in their Serie A title defense, it is proving to be a different story this season for Napoli as they currently in the race for the Scudetto, alongside the defending champions, Inter Milan, so, it is guaranteed that they will be playing Champions League football for next season.

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Hence, the club is already putting plans in place to strengthen the team for that challenge, since they would be playing more matches too. Consequently, Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on the idea of signing Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the summer transfer window.

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This is in spite of the fact that Napoli are close to an agreement over a new contract extension with current no.1 Alex Meret. According to reports from Sky Sport Italia, Napoli are planning an exciting recruitment drive in the summer transfer window and a number of names In a number of different positions.

They’ve already been linked, including defenders Federico Gatti and Sam Beukema of Juventus and Bologna, on top of their agreement to sign Luca Marianucci from Empoli. In attack, there have been links with Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao and Lille’s Edon Zhegrova, plus Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca.

However, Sky and Gianluca Di Marzio claim that Conte is particularly keen on goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic, even if Meret is close to signing off on a new contract extension. The report claims that Conte is keen on the idea of having two no.1s competing for a starting spot next season.

Milinkovic-Savic has kept nine clean sheets in Serie A this season, a tally only bettered by Yann Sommer of Inter (12), Michele Di Gregorio of Juventus (11), Meret of Napoli (11), Mile Svilar of Roma (11), Mike Maignan of Milan (10) and Marco Carnesecchi of Atalanta (10). He has also saved four penalties already this season.

This tally is better than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues this season. Meanwhile, the Partenopei have identified Zhegrova of Lille as the ideal successor to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, after losing the Geogian star to Paris Saint-Germain in January with no adequate replacement signed either.

The Serie A giants had previously expressed interest in the Kosovar winger during the winter transfer window, but Lille were unwilling to part with the 25-year-old mid-season. However, Zhegrova was reportedly open to the move, suggesting the two clubs could potentially resume transfer talks aimed at reaching a potential agreement in the upcoming weeks.

According to the report Corriere dello Sport, Conte is also said to be particularly keen on signing the player, which is why the club’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna, is actively working to finalise the deal, aiming to bolster the squad especially the attack. Lille are expected to demand a transfer fee between €20m and €25m for him.

Although his contract until 2026 could prompt the French club to negotiate to avoid losing the player on a free transfer in the future. Napoli were unable to secure their preferred replacements for Kvaratskhelia in January, as moves for Alejandro Garnacho and Karim Adeyemi proved too costly and complex.

Read Also: Two Names Added To Inter’s Summer Transfer Plans, Including Impressive Serie A Defender

As a result, they settled for a last-minute loan deal for Noah Okafor from Milan in the final hours of the winter transfer window. Also, the money expected from the potential sales of Osimhen and what they got from Kvara should fund much of their transfer activities.

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