Napoli Losing Faith in Deputy Striker, Eye Udinese Star | OneFootball

Massimiliano Allegri has given Lorenzo Lucca a few chances behind Rasmus Hojlund, but he hasn’t seized them, and the striker will likely be put on the market again in January, and Napoli have earmarked Keinan Davis as a possible replacement, Tuttomercatoweb reports.

The Italian striker stayed put mostly because the Partenopei couldn’t find a deal they liked economically last summer. The coach deployed him off the bench in most matches. However, he hasn’t made an impact so far.

Allegri pushed to sign another marksman in the summer, with Gabriel Jesus at the top of his list. But the financial side took precedence, so Napoli retained Lucca, hoping he’d bounce back.

The Azzurri will likely have to settle for another loan if they ship off the center-forward. They did the same last January when they sent him to Nottingham Forest. He didn’t fare much better there and returned at the end of the season.

Davis is seen as a better alternative to Hojlund, plus the two could easily co-exist. He logged 10 goals and 4 assists last year, and added one of each in the early going. On the other hand, their offer would have to be large, at least €20M, to convince Udinese to sell a linchpin mid-season.

Our Take on Napoli, Lucca, and Davis

We’ll see whether Allegri has more sway in January or if the higher-ups continue with a very cautious approach where the health of balance sheets matters at least as much as the technical aspects. The two strikers aren’t even that far apart caliber-wise, but the former’s confidence has been totally shot since he quickly fell out of favor in Campania.