SC Napoli is already thinking about the next UEFA Champions League tie, which will pit them against Xavi’s Barça. The Italians have a great squad in their ranks, but they were only able to finish second in Group C. Of course, in that group in the European competition, they had Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid as their most difficult rival.
With the Madridistas, the team led by Luciano Spalletti lost both games, so it is not a good sign for the Neapolitans. To this we must add a draw against Unión Berlin, in addition to being seventh in Serie A, far from the lead and fighting for the European positions. For this reason, there is some interest in strengthening with some players, in order to face the match against Barça in the best conditions.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, the president of Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has assured that they are preparing an ambitious winter market. In fact, the same information given by the transalpine newspaper explains that De Laurentiis has already planned the number of signings to be made. Specifically, there will be three reinforcements that Napoli will make to face Barça in the Champions League.
A centre-back, a wing-back and a midfielder, Naples’ objectives
This information given by Corriere suggests that Napoli’s first two objectives will be on defense. The first of them will be located in the right lane, where they want to give the captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, a rest. In this sense, two Italian names are the ones that sound: Pasquale Mazzocchi, from Salernitana, and Davide Faraoni, from Hellas Verona.
The other reinforcement in the defense that Napoli wants to make will be located in the central part of it, where there are three objectives. One of them is Radu Dragusin, who is having a great season at Genoa and who has also been suggested for Barça. The other two are Borussia Mönchengladbach player Ko Itakura and Merih Demiral, from Al-Ahli.
In last place is the midfield where the first clear objective is Seko Fofana, Al-Nassr player. However, he is not the only one, since Lamar Samardzic is also on Napoli’s priority list. Or, at least, that’s what reliable sources from journalist Fabrizio Romano have said.
Of course, what is clear is that the midfield can be a line that Napoli can prioritize reinforcing. And the Italians have had a recent departure, which was that of Eljif Elmas, who has headed to RB Leipzig. Therefore, if they want to beat Barça in the Champions League, they are going to need to have more players.
Could Napoli catch Barça?
Even these players who can reinforce the Italian team for the Champions League could come from Barça itself. And the Neapolitans are one of the teams interested in acquiring the services of Ferran Torres. The Valencian is on the Neapolitan agenda and would be an interesting acquisition to form a trident with Víctor Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia.
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This option could gain even more strength in the face of a possible departure of Giovanni Simeone, the son of Cholo, the coach of Atlético de Madrid. The Argentine is not having the continuity that was initially expected and, for that reason, there is speculation about a possible departure from Italy. With a value of 15 million euros, according to Transfermarkt, Gio’s departure could be feasible in winter.
In fact, Simeone could have some clubs in Spain interested in hiring him. One of them could be Real Betis, who would be looking for a scorer, while Sevilla FC also explored that possibility. If he manages to leave Naples, an exit door could open for Barça’s Ferran Torres, although we will have to wait for events.
2023-12-30 21:58:45
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