Napoli are interested in signing Lille left-back Reinildo Mandava in the upcoming January transfer window.
Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis wants to provide coach Luciano Spalletti with some reinforcements next month in order to help alleviate the injury issues present in the squad, with one of the problem areas being the left-back role.
Mario Rui is currently suffering from fatigue and Spalletti is left with limited options, with both Faouzi Ghoulam and Juan Jesus not convincing in the position.
Calciomercato.com reports that Napoli are looking to acquire Lille’s Mandava next month in order to strengthen their left-back role. The 27-year-old’s contract expires with the French side next summer but the Neapolitan side are willing to pay a small fee in order to sign him immediately.
Mandava, who is excited about the idea of playing for Napoli, could cost as low as €5m plus add-ons. The Partenopei are hoping that the prospect of cashing in a little will convince Lille to accept the deal, even if their offer is below his regular market value.
One issue, however, is the Serie A squad registration list. There is currently no space for Mandava and so Napoli are likely to cut Ghoulam from the list.
The 30-year-old Algerian has recently returned from yet another injury but he has hardly contributed to Napoli’s work so far this campaign, so it’s understandable why the Partenopei would drop him.
Ghoulam’s contract expires with Napoli next year in 2022 so he’ll only be sidelined for a few months, although the club could decide to completely sever ties and terminate his contract early.
#Napoli, c'è #Mandava: #DeLaurentiis lo vuole già a gennaio, #Ghoulam può essere la chiave https://t.co/pfit2dpm9W pic.twitter.com/yOKo9PxWQu
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) December 14, 2021