Gerard Deulofeu is inching closer to a move to Napoli, but the prospective buyers need to up their bid to convince Udinese. The player would welcome the move, although other sides are eyeing him as well.
The Partenopei have reached agreement on personal terms, SportMediaset informs. Instead, the two sides are fairly distant on his evaluation. The Azzurri offered €13M plus add-ons, while the Friulani want €20M. The Spaniard is coming off a career year as he bagged 13 goals and provided 5 assists in 34 Serie A appearances in 2021/2022.
His agent Albert Botines talked to Footballnews24.
“Napoli would be a great option for him, one of the best ones overall considering that they will play in Champions League. We will see how the transfer market develops in the next few days. He has received inquiries also from other Italian clubs and from Spain and the Premier League. A few sides that would allow him to take a step forward asked for information.”
“He is very happy with Udinese, and he has a strong relationship with Gino Pozzo and his family. Both parties are open to the transfer. The management thinks that the time has come as well, so it should go through during this window.”
On top of Deulofeu, Napoli have also been linked to Federico Bernardeschi to bolster their flanks. Especially so if Matteo Politano fled, as his agent recently alluded to. But they are not yet close to striking a deal with the soon-to-be-former Juventus attacker.
According to Calciomercato, the Azzurri could offer around what their current winger is making, €2.2M per year. The 28-year-old was earning €4M in Turin and would have to accept a considerable pay cut. The parties could eventually meet at €2.5/3M. But the agreement is not imminent.