After being punished by Walid Cheddira in the last round, Napoli will face another talented loanee next week, Elia Caprile, who’s having a solid season at Empoli. The Partenopei spent €7M to sign him permanently from their sister side Bari last summer. He has a shot at being their next no.1 at the expense of Alex Meret, Il Roma reports.
The former Udinese goalie had a year automatically added to his contract due to an appearance-related clause. On the other hand, the team will soon need to negotiate a new one, as it runs out in 2025. The previous negotiations didn’t lead to a long-term agreement.
Napoli will likely bring in a new coach, and he’ll be instrumental in picking between Caprile and Meret too. It’s unlikely both will stay at the Partenopei. It remains to be seen whether the former would accept another loan. The veteran has been occasionally linked to other Serie A sides.
The 22-year-old had a challenging start to his Serie A career due to some early uneven performances and a major ankle injury. He eventually recovered and unseated Etrit Berisha. He has been going strong for a few months at this point, allowing 23 goals in 18 matches and keeping 3 clean sheets.
Our Take on Napoli, Meret, and Caprile
They never liked the former enough to fully commit to him. He’s fine but not great. They’ll easily make the switch if they get a good enough offer. The younger option might have a higher ceiling.
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