Amid the publicity of Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala’s respective farewells from Juventus, Federico Bernardeschi was a forgotten figure, as the 28-year-old is also leaving the club after five seasons of service come June, with Napoli have touched base with his agent.
It has been a busy day for the Azzurri. They formalized the buyout of Franck-André Zambo Anguissa from Fulham for €15M following a positive loan spell. Moreover, they officially announced to have captured left-back Mathias Olivera from Getafe.
Bernardeschi was in a contractual limbo with the Bianconeri almost throughout the whole of the recently concluded season, and no common ground was met between the two parties as the season reached its climax.
Nevertheless, the Fiorentina youth product is not short of suitors for his signature, with one particular Italian club and its management keeping close tabs on developments. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli have initiated first talks with the player’s agent, Federico Pastorello, who also represents Alex Meret.
Apparently, during a meeting between Giuntoli and Pastorello regarding the goalkeeper’s future, the idea of Bernardeschi joining Napoli came into life. The Partenopei are seeking attacking reinforcements to aid Victor Osimhen upfront and especially on the wings, since main men Lorenzo Insigne and quite probably Dries Mertens are both leaving the club.
However, Napoli might encounter a roadblock in the form of wage demands – the same reason why Bernardeschi didn’t renew with the Bianconeri. He racked in €4M net per season, an amount the Partenopei will need to think twice about before making a move. Along with Italian international, Udinese ace Gerard Deulofeu is another target in contention for a move to Napoli in the summer.