Napoli are closing in on Gianluca Lapadula. Today there was a meeting in Pescara and President Aurelio De Laurentiis is looking to close the deal as quickly as possible. A fee of around €8 million plus some of the vesuviani’s younger players could see Serie B’s top goalscorer at the San Paolo next season.
 

The arrival of Lapadula is sure to signal the departure of Manolo Gabbiadini who has played only 544 minutes in Serie A and does not want to be a reserve any longer. The club are content with his contribution, but the Italian international needs more playing time and that is unlikely at the San Paolo. De Laurentiis has already rejected a €25 million bid from Wolfsburg but Napoli now seem prepared to part with the 24-year-old for around €20 million. Despite this, the price remains too high for Inter, the club who are most likely to keep the player in Italy and a future away from the peninsula could become a reality. Having already missed out on Euro 2016, Gabbiadini can ill afford to miss the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

Steve Mitchell @barafundler