Napoli have confirmed the signing of Giovanni Simeone from Hellas Verona, where he had spent 2021/22 on loan from Cagliari. Son of Atleti coach Diego Simeone, Cholito has joined the Partenopei on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy if Luciano Spallettii’s outfit qualifies for the UEFA Champions League in 2023/24. He will wear the number 18 jersey.
? Welcome, Cholito! ?
? #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/sqwIXHj3NC
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) August 18, 2022
The opportunistic forward was welcomed by club president Aurelio De Laurentiis with a tweet. Simeone is already at the Napoli headquarters to finalize his contract details, which will initially tie him to the club for a period of one campaign. The Argentine completed the switch to the Azzurri a few days after Andrea Petagna joined Monza, thus finalizing the domino deal.
Benvenuto Cholito! #ADL pic.twitter.com/36xfMFdtS0
— AurelioDeLaurentiis (@ADeLaurentiis) August 18, 2022
As per Tuttomercatoweb, the transaction is worth €15.5M – that includes €3.5M as the loan fee and €12M for the permanent transfer come June 2023. The former Fiorentina and Cagliari marksman arrives in Naples as a direct successor to parting legend Dries Mertens, who left the club as a free agent following his contract expiration.
The newcomer will play a pivotal role alongside Victor Osimhen in the Partenopei’s quest for a first Serie A since the days of the legendary Maradona in 1989/90. Simeone scored 17 goals in 35 appearances for Verona last season. The Argentine is expected to be joined by Sassuolo starlet Giacomo Raspadori soon enough.
Our Take on Simeone to Napoli
Napoli have onboarded an effective forward with a knack for executing hold-up play and registering goals. It is the first big career step for him, as he will undoubtedly add to Spalletti’s firepower in the final third. After finishing third in 2021/2022, Napoli have a real chance of bettering that with the new signing.
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