Napoli are closing in on Bayer Leverkusen’s €12m-rated German international midfielder Christoph Kramer.
Napoli are closing in on Bayer Leverkusen’s €12m-rated German international midfielder Christoph Kramer.
According to Il Mattino and Tuttosport newspapers, Napoli are on the verge of completing their swoop for 23-year-old Kramer, who is currently midway through a two-year loan to Borussia Monchengladbach.
The original offer was €8m, but now raised to €10m plus add-ons for a total €12m fee.
It is also possible that Blerim Dzemaili or Valon Behrami could be used in part-exchange, as Kramer will be replacing one of them in the Napoli squad.
Their interest has been going for some time and only intensified after he started the World Cup Final against Argentina, stepping in when Sami Khedira was injured during the warm-up.
Kramer’s big night didn’t last long, as he was concussed after a blow to the head and had to be carried off the field.
This week referee Nicola Rizzoli revealed just how dazed Kramer was after that collision with Ezequiel Garay.
“Well, shortly after the blow suffered by Garay, Kramer came to me and asked: ‘Ref, is this the final?’,” Rizzoli told the Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I thought he was joking, he repeated the question and said: ‘I need to know if this is really the final’.
“At my ‘yes’, amazed, he concluded: ‘Thanks, it was important to know.’ I advised Bastian Schweinsteiger and they replaced Kramer.”