Mario Gila race: Napoli ‘to hold’ fresh talks as Atalanta ‘to offload’ defender | OneFootball

Napoli and Atalanta are locked in a battle for Lazio centre-back Mario Gila, with the Serie A rivals pushing to strike a deal this summer. Lazio have one year left on his contract and have cut Claudio Lotito’s asking price from €30 million to €22m plus €3m.

Real Madrid are set to collect a 50% sell-on from Lazio’s profit. Napoli moved first, agreeing terms with his agent on a five-year deal worth €3m net per season.

Atalanta followed with a bid worth more than €20m, which did not convince Lazio. Sky Sport Italia reports that Napoli want to stay in front, with sporting director Giovanni Manna meeting the player’s entourage on Tuesday, and new talks with Lazio expected.

Alfredo Pedullà claims Atalanta are working to free up a spot in defence by selling one of their centre-backs, a move that could also raise their offer for the Spaniard.

After Isak Hien suffered a serious World Cup injury last week, Pedullà believes the main candidate to depart is Berat Djimsiti, a 33-year-old Albanian defender who has been on La Dea’s books since 2016.

Source: The Laziali