Depending on who you believe in Italy, Jan Vertonghen may or may not end up at Napoli next season once his contract with Tottenham expires.
We’ll start with those who do think it’s a possibility, and those are Corriere dello Sport, who state the Belgian ‘could represent a solution’ for the Serie A club if Kalidou Koulibaly were to leave for pastures new in the coming months.
He might not ‘fit in line with the Napoli philosophy’, but he remains ‘applicable’ despite his advancing years, turning 33 on April 24th.
If we listen to what Ciro Venerato, a journalist for Rai Sport, has to say, however, then it’s a completely different story.
He said, speaking to CalcioNapoli24: “Koulibaly’s heir won’t be Vertonghen. The defender has been looked at many times by the director of football Giuntoli in the past two transfer windows, but his financial demands have always blocked any sort of negotiations.
“He isn’t a part of the summer targets after a wide-ranging debate: the first aspect is based on statistics, he isn’t a forward looking investment. An Albiol doesn’t always happen. The second point is financial: the wages aren’t in line with the potential. Giuntoli will look at other avenues.”
So, who do we believe?
It’s fair to say that Vertonghen, with his experience and current ability, does represent an alluring prospect for many clubs, but, as Venerato says, it depends on how clubs want to do things going forward.
As for Vertonghen in all of this, his last outing in the media suggested he still doesn’t really know what he wants to do.
