Arsenal have ‘already come forward to sign’ Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne, according to Calciomercato.it.
The 30-year-old’s contract expires at the end of next season and so far, no progress has been made by the Serie A side to tie him down to a new deal.
It’s claimed the arrival of the winger’s agent, Vincenzo Pisacane, on Thursday, didn’t unblock the situation.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis was not part of the meeting, but the representative of the Italy international met with vice president Edoardo De Laurentiis, CEO Andrea Chiavelli and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli.
The meeting ‘did not lead to any offer for the renewal’. The Euro 2020 winner wants his salary to be increased to €5.5m per year, while Napoli have no intention of going beyond €3.5m including bonuses.
As per the report, Napoli are ‘grappling with negotiations’ linked to Insigne’s contract and in the background there is interest from Inter Milan and other clubs.
They Nerazzurri already made contact with his agent, but haven’t made any proposal to Napoli, who are not ready to let him leave for less than €25-30m. Inter find these figures ‘very high’ for an attacker with a current deal expiring in 10 months.
Mikel Arteta’s side are mentioned and it’s said both Atlético Madrid and Arsenal ‘have already come forward to sign Insigne on a free transfer’. This indicates the two sides are looking at the player for 2022 and not for the the current window.
