Napoli tried to get a new left-back in the summer since Mario Rui is up-and-down and Faouzi Ghoulam is often injured. They pursued Emerson Palmieri and Pervis Estupinan, but they could not come to terms with their respective teams. Now they have better chances to land another of their previous targets, Reinildo Mandava, either in January or next June, Calciomercato.com reports.
The defender’s contract expires in 2022, and he has not had any meeting with Lille to prolong it yet. He could leave in the next window if a decent bid arrived. Napoli have been following him for some time. His entourage even visited their training center in Castel Volturno during the summer. However, the Partenopei were not in a position to make any splurge at the time.
They re-opened contacts with his agents a couple of weeks ago, the site indicates. Ghoulam recently completed a lengthy rehab after an ACL tear. Napoli will evaluate his performances before deciding whether to make a move in the winter. They have a tight relationship with Lille given the previous deals for Victor Osimhen and Kevin Malcuit.
The contract of Ghoulam is also up in June 2022, and it is highly unlikely it will be renewed. Napoli could simply replace him with Mandava at the end of the season. The future of Rui is also in jeopardy, as his representative has stated a few times that they are not totally comfortable in Campania. The Mozambican fullback is currently the frontrunner to take the position in the future.