Despite making a crucial breakthrough in talks with Torino, Napoli could still fail to sign Alessandro Buongiorno this summer. According to Sky Sport Italia, the 25-year-old is second-guessing a move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona amid Inter’s attempt to hijack the deal.
Napoli and Torino have reportedly agreed on a transfer fee. Granata President Urbano Cairo has accepted Partenopei’s bid worth €35 million plus €5m in bonuses, considering it matches the €40m valuation of his most prized asset.
However, Napoli and Buongiorno are still at odds. Antonio Conte’s men have yet to find common ground with the Italy international despite the famous manager’s genuine ambition to make the homegrown Torino star a centerpiece of his backline.
While Napoli remain confident of overcoming this hurdle, they can’t afford to let his impasse go on. That’s because Serie A champions Inter are in the picture. Simone Inzaghi’s men have identified Buongiorno as a potential long-term replacement for Francesco Acerbi.
Inter and Buongiorno’s agent, Beppe Riso, have reportedly met to discuss the center-back’s future amid the southern giant’s inability to persuade the player to pen a contract in Naples. Riso has admitted having a ‘bit of chit-chat and a few jokes’ with the Nerazzurri entourages.
As such, Napoli can’t rest easy. Buongiorno will now take a few days to contemplate his options. That’s not what Conte would want to hear as he bids to overhaul the faltering squad he inherited from Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona.
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