Napoli coach Antonio Conte finally sees some light at the end of a long tunnel as Benfica winger David Neres leans toward joining the Partenopei. According to Calciomercato, the struggling Serie A giants are willing to put a €25 million bid on the table, while the Eagles are gunning for a figure closer to €30m.
Benfica manager Roger Schmidt offered Napoli a transfer boost on Sunday evening. After refusing to include Neres in his matchday squad for the opening Primeira Liga game against Famalicao, Schmidt spoke plainly about the Brazilian’s desire to leave the Estadio da Luz.
“I can confirm that David Neres wants to leave,” he said, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. “There are concrete talks with the new club. The clubs are in touch, and I need players who make the utmost effort.“
The club Schmidt was talking about is probably Napoli. In addition to his ever-lasting ambition to reunite with Chelsea flop Romelu Lukaku, Conte has earmarked Neres as a potentially season-defining signing.
After two years in Portugal, the 27-year-old winger is ready for a change. He has already agreed to join Napoli. Now it’s up to Aurelio De Laurentiis and his Benfica counterpart, Rui Costa, to find common ground.
Talks between the clubs could gain momentum in the coming days. Napoli cannot afford to waste any more time on protracted negotiations. Conte needs reinforcements in no time, as evidenced by Partenopei’s nerve-wracking Coppa Italia win against second-tier Modena on Saturday.
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