Napoli have had some contacts with the entourage of Josip Brekalo. Torino had decided to buy him out after a productive loan spell from Wolfsburg, but the winger rejected a permanent move. He returned to Germany to wait for the right opportunity. His agent motivated the decision by saying that the attacker wished to play in a European competition.
As per Rai (via SportMediaset), director Cristiano Giuntoli had a long talk with his agents Monday. The Bundesliga side wants €10M to part ways with him. The 24-year-old has just a year on his contract. He tallied 7 goals and 2 assists in 32 appearances with the Granata in 2021/2022.
Napoli reportedly eyed Brekalo last summer as well, but they could not sanction a deal and did not have many openings in their frontline. That has changed with Lorenzo Insigne moving to Toronto FC. Dries Mertens and president Aurelio De Laurentiis are poised for a showdown meeting later this week, Corriere dello Sport informs. Matteo Politano could depart too, as Valencia have set their sights on him.
The Partenopei continue to chase after Gerard Deulofeu. While they are nearing an agreement with Udinese on his valuation, €18M, they prefer to do the deal on loan with option or obligation to buy for now, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs. The formula could change following some sales.
Our Take on Napoli Eyeing Brekalo
The Croatian international had a smooth transition to Serie A, and he put up strong numbers while playing for a side that was not very offensive-minded. He can feature in any position up front, and his relatively low price tag makes him an intriguing target for teams that use 4-2-3-1. He and Gerard Deulofeu would not be mutually exclusive. They might both join if Mertens and Politano did not stay.