Napoli and RB Leipzig announced the Elijf Elmas transfer even before the formal start of the January window, and the Azzurri have reignited their interest in Lazar Samardzic to replace him. The midfielder wouldn’t have been available for the final match of 2023 anyway due to a thigh strain.
According to Corriere dello Sport, the Scudetto holders have cashed in €25M. They want to act quickly, as Frank Anguissa is about to leave for AFCON. The Udinese directors stated a few times that he wouldn’t transfer. However, there have been direct contacts between the two owners, Aurelio De Laurentiis and Gino Pozzo.
Napoli would be able to seal the deal in a hurry if they proposed €20M plus €5M add-ons for Samardzic, which is approximately what they cashed in for Elmas. His price tag isn’t much different from the summer when he was almost sold to Inter.
+++ Transfer-Update +++
Eljif #Elmas verstärkt #RB Leipzig ab Januar 2024!
Der 24-Jährige erhält einen langfristigen Vertrag über viereinhalb Jahre bis Juni 2028 und wird künftig mit der Rückennummer 6 für #RBL aufdribbeln: https://t.co/dkIFE1iIEh
Herzlich Willkommen bei den… pic.twitter.com/tbSIodtcLo
— RB Leipzig (@RBLeipzig) December 27, 2023
Per Alfredo Pedullà, the talent hasn’t hit it off with new coach Gabriele Cioffi. Lazio will inquire as well. Luis Alberto suffered an adductor strain that will sideline him for about a month. Moreover, his substitute Daichi Kamada has been called up for the AFC Asian Cup.
Our Take on Napoli, Samardzic, and Elmas
The Azzurri should definitely not beat around the bush and re-invest the dough pronto, especially considering where things are headed with Piotr Zielinski. They’d have six months to break him in and then hand him the keys if everything goes well.
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