When Napoli were unable to stop Kim Min-jae from going to Bayern Munich because of his release clause, they faced the task of replacing him, which is when Konstantinos Mavropanos was targeted, now at West Ham United.
The defender was still at VfB Stuttgart at the time, and Corriere dello Sport on Monday explain he was one of the favoured options to take over from the South Korean.
Instead, they got Natan, who hasn’t lived up to the task, which is why they are on the market again for a centre-back, and the West Ham man is still in their sights.
It’s recalled that Mavropanos was ‘in the past list’, because he is ‘not only physical’, but is also ‘good-looking’ (which we’re guessing means technically good), before pointing out he ended up at the Hammers.
He is now back in the starting lineup under David Moyes but ‘continues to be on the radar’, because Napoli have ‘always liked him’.
Whether they can now afford him and his wages, seeing he is at a Premier League club, remains to be seen, but knowing Aurelio De Laurentiis and his tactics, they would likely look for the cheapest way possible of getting him.
However, considering he cost the Hammers €20m in the summer, however, that is unlikely to be something the London side are interested in.
Since joining West Ham, the 26-year-old has made 23 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal in the 2-0 win over Arsenal back in late December.
