Even though injuries are piling up for Napoli, their plans for January are unlikely to change. The Partenopei will at most sign a left-back or eventually replace those who leave. Now that Kalidou Koulibaly is out for a while, they probably will not sell Kostas Manolas to Olympiakos, as he wishes.
The Greek center-back is in line for a bigger role, although not right away. Due to a thigh strain and an illness, he has not featured in over six weeks. Juan Jesus will be the first substitute for Koulibaly, while Manolas will have to claw his way back, Corriere dello Sport reports.
On top of a few other options, the Azzurri have begun tracking Umut Meras for the left defensive flank. His agent Kemal Can Tekin confirmed it: “I am fielding several calls from Spain, England, and Italy. Napoli have taken an interest. I spoke with them, and we discussed his future.”
The 25-year-old is joined Besiktas from Le Havre last summer. His representative continued: “A few big teams had reached out to us last year, but we picked the Turkish one for their project and for the trust they showed in him. They wanted him badly, and that was the right choice for him at the time.”
Meras was part of the Turkey squad for the Euro and started against Italy. On top of him, Napoli are pursuing Lille’s Reinildo Mandava, who is on Atletico Madrid’s radar, and Ajax’s Nouassair Mazroui, who is being followed also by Juventus, Inter, and Roma, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.