Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly ready to break Napoli’s wage structure to sign Javier Mascherano, but it would mean no Pepe Reina.
Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly ready to break Napoli’s wage structure to sign Javier Mascherano, but it would mean no Pepe Reina.
The club have been linked with both trying to turn goalkeeper Reina’s loan move from Liverpool into a permanent deal this summer, and trying to tempt Mascherano to sign from Barcelona.
La Repubblica report that whilst the latter holds reservations about living in Naples, club President De Laurentiis is apparently ready to go outside usual financial parameters set on player wages, in a bid to try and secure his signature.
ADL is believed to be treating such a move as an ‘exception’ to the rule and as a ‘gift’ to his Coach Rafa Benitez, who is believed to have specifically requested the 29-year-old’s signing, having previously worked with him at Liverpool, who incidentally are the other club seen as in the running this summer for the player.
However, any move of this nature from Napoli for Mascherano is seen to almost completely rule out hope of keeping hold of Reina – ADL is described as open to making one exception this summer, but not two.
The Spain international has been seen in recent weeks as pushing for Napoli to match his current €4.5m salary received at Liverpool.
La Repubblica report, though, that encouraging signs of Rafael’s recovering from knee injury have the Brazilian in line for a return to training by preseason and the club more than open to cutting off talks with Reina.