Napoli are moving forwards in their pursuit of Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic, as the Partenopei have now presented their first, verbal offer to the Friulani for the 21-year-old.
According to information from Calciomercato.com on Thursday afternoon, Napoli’s first offer to Udinese stands at a guaranteed fee of €19m plus an additional €4m-€5m in performance-related bonuses.
Napoli are set to receive an injection of cash, as current midfielder Eljif Elmas is now just an official announcement away from joining RB Leipzig for a fee of €25m, having already completed his medical in Germany towards the end of December.
The €25m raised from Elmas’s sale is expected to be directly re-invested in a new midfielder in the January transfer window.
The club are keen to bring in an additional midfielder as swiftly as possible to replace Elmas. They must also cover themselves ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, as Andre Frank Zambo Abguissa is expected to travel with Cameroon.
Udinese, meanwhile, are expected to review Napoli’s initial offer over the next few hours and talks are expected to continue in the coming days.