Exclusive: Noa Lang to Napoli progressing well, Juventus reach striker agreement & more

Napoli prioritising winger signings

The transfer market is heating up, but Napoli have already been at full throttle for a while now. And that’s an advantage, with their first priority being two attacking wingers.

Dan Ndoye is a top target, but the pursuit of Noa Lang is progressing truly well. Napoli have made the interest in the PSG attacker official, as reported on Sunday, and received complete approval from the player. PSV’s asking price is €30m with a fixed fee of at least €25m. Napoli have offered €25m plus a couple of million in add-ons. It should not be tough to reach an agreement.

At the same time, Napoli need another winner and the situation with Ndoye is still open. Federico Chiesa remains a potential option in the background. Pulling off both deals would give Napoli a formidable frontline, especially with David Neres and Matteo Politano already in the squad. Imagine if Antonio Conte were to add Darwin Nunez to Romelu Lukaku, two top-level strikers who could power Napoli to another Serie A title and a strong Champions League run.

What else would Napoli need? A centre-back like Sam Beukema. A pursuit that has been ongoing for three months now. Bologna don’t give up and have offered a contract extension even if the defender’s deal runs out in two years. However, as the player has put it down: ‘Some chances only come once in a lifetime, and when they do, you better take them without overthinking.’ In short, Napoli is a powerhouse on and off the pitch and in a world full of empty words, when actions speak, it’s worth taking off a hundred hats, not just one.

Potential ins and outs at AC Milan

We probably should have seen it coming: a massive offer was bound to convince Theo Hernandez to accept Al-Hilal’s proposal. Add to that some extra phone calls from Simone Inzaghi, growing pressure, waiting for interest from European clubs and the need to make a quick decision to avoid spending his final year at Milan feeling like a lame duck. Honestly, it’s pretty absurd that Theo can’t continue playing top-tier football as he’s still one of the best in his position.

It’s unbelievable that nobody stepped in with the €25m needed to secure a player who may be tough to manage but is an explosive threat down the left when properly motivated. Now Milan must replace him in the best possible way and they’d better avoid turning the Rafael Leao situation into an exhausting saga. It’s time to settle it quickly to prevent late-summer panic buys. Milan have lost Tijjani Reijnders and now Theo. Sometime unimaginable just two years ago. It’s now time to act decisively and get everyone aligned.

If you want Ardon Jashari, the brilliant Club Brugge talent, there’s no point lowballing with €25m offers when the asking price is close to €40m, including bonuses. If you’re more interested in Jashari than Javi Guerra, then go all in and get it done. Brugge are holding firm. In midfield, keep an eye on Samuele Ricci as well, and don’t take Granit Xhaka for granted, even if his age and Bayer Leverkusen’s reluctance to let him go complicate things.

Ricci seemed to be an ended story, but talks have resumed in recent days. Milan have a full agreement with the player’s entourage and now it’s about how much Torino will drop from the initial €28m asking price, including bonuses. Torino had already planned to sell him in January. Milan need at least two midfielders and Ricci remains a very hot lead worth following closely.

Juventus to replace Dusan Vlahovic with Jonathan David?

As for Dusan Vlahovic, if Massimiliano Allegri considers him the best available striker, especially given his transfer fee, then it makes little sense to argue over a salary limit of €4m per season. But there’s still one central question: would Vlahovic agree to spread out his €12m net salary across a deal with a new club? Milan need to show they’ve learned from past mistakes.

Juventus have been chasing Jonathan David for two years, since the summer of 2023. The management may have changed, but the appreciation remains. In fact, contacts have intensified in the past month to the point that a verbal agreement on salary has been reached: €6m per season plus €1-2m add-ons.

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Inter pulled out early due to high costs. Napoli had a total agreement in place, but changed direction because Antonio Conte prefers a different type of striker, someone like Nunez. So Juventus are back in the race even though they’re still monitoring Victor Osimhen, whose situation can change at any moment.

David’s agents demand over €10m in signing bonuses and commissions and that’s where the real negotiations lie. Juventus must proceed with caution. Going all-in would secure a strong striker on a free transfer. Otherwise, they’ll continue working on Randal Kolo Muani, banking on the Frenchman’s desire to join. If that fails too, Juventus will look elsewhere. Who knows, maybe by then, Osimhen will have accepted a move to Saudi Arabia or somewhere entirely new.