Napoli to Add Verona Star, Part Ways with Two Misfits | OneFootball

Napoli will bid adieu to Lorenzo Lucca and Noa Lang and bring in Giovane from Hellas Verona. The Italian center-forward has ultimately chosen Nottingham Forest after being courted also by Pisa and Sevilla, Gianluca Di Marzio reports.

The former Udinese star will transfer on a €2M loan with a €35M option to buy. He has already flown to England to finalize the move. Instead, the winger hasn’t departed yet, but the deal with Galatasaray has basically been sealed. Other sides, for instance Fulham, have been trying to hijack it. He’ll exit with the same formula in a potential €30M package.

Napoli didn’t manage to sell Lucca and Lang outright, but they skirted their current limitations with an unusual agreement for Giovane. They’ll pay a low fee right away and conspicuous bonuses down the line for a total of €20M. He has notched 3 goals and 4 assists in 21 matches in his first few months in Serie A.

The Partenopei have revved up because they fear David Neres will need surgery to address a tendon injury. They plot to onboard a pure winger too and will make an attempt for Nicolò Cambiaghi, but it won’t be easy to convince Bologna.

Our Take on Napoli, Lucca, Lang, and Giovane

They earn bonus points for creativity and swiftness, but they’ll have to be lucky for one of the two outcasts to be redeemed. The Verona talent has been brilliant, but he’ll have to pass Antonio Conte’s smell test, or he’ll end up like some of their other newcomers. Another tactical evolution, likely toward 3-5-2, could be in the cards since Romelu Lukaku is fit and Frank Anguissa is about to return.