Now that Napoli have one foot in the Champions League group stages after a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Nice, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s transfer to Italy has become a bit more relevant.
Of course, as was explained on Thursday, being in the elite competition could open new doors, such as Denis Suarez from Barcelona (pushed to one side by the Paulinho transfer), but the Manchester City youngster remained very high on the list.
Well, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, a big step forward was made yesterday during a meeting between the Ukrainian youngster’s representatives and Napoli.
The Italian newspaper explain ‘certainties’ emerged, including the player reiterating his desire to sign for the Serie A outfit.
Moreover, a ‘draft agreement’ was reached between the two sides for a paid loan with a view to buy of around €6-7m.
The last time Gazzetta reported on the potential deal, they claimed the redemption clause would be around €5-6m, yet it appears Manchester City have managed to increase that during negotiations.
With an undefined amount of money up front, the deal looks like an attractive one for the Cityzens, especially if Pep Guardiola has no intention of trying to integrate the 20-year-old in his plans in the near future.
First, though, Napoli want to get rid of a few players, but once that’s done, it’s full steam ahead for the Zinchenko deal.
