Napoli are ‘willing to wait’ to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea this summer, but not until the end of August.
That’s according to Corriere Dello Sport, who cover the Italian side’s efforts to find competition for Alex Meret today.
They explain that Napoli chief Cristiano Giuntoli ‘evaluates different profiles’ in his search for an alternative to Meret, whose contract expires next summer.
He’s yet to sign a new deal and won’t do so until he knows who the next signing will be, having made it clear he wants to be number one above all else.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, though, is insistent that Napoli need two ‘high-level’ goalkeepers and their ‘primary target’ is Chelsea’s Kepa.
If they were to get him it would make keeping Meret more difficult as the Spaniard would be a tough competitor to overcome in the battle for the number one shirt.
However, at the moment it is difficult to see him arriving from Chelsea as they are unlikely to be open to a loan with a right to buy that would also require them to pay a ‘substantial part’ of Kepa’s wages.
Napoli are, therefore ‘willing to wait’ to see if a deal opens up for them but they will be four games into the new season by the time the transfer window closes so cannot wait until the ‘end of August sales’.
That suggests they may try to get something done before then, although they do have alternative options that they can explore.
