Despite months of speculation and links to most mid-table Premier League sides, Manolo Gabbiadini is no closer to a Napoli exit.
The 25-year-old striker, who is valued at €25m by his president Aurelio de Laurentiis, doesn’t appear to be a part of Maurizio Sarri’s plans in the long-run, with the club signing Leandro Pavoletti in January to compensate for an exit.
Charlie Austin’s long-term injury has caused Claude Puel to delve into the transfer market this January, yet their most recent offer for Gabbiadini won’t have pleased Aurelio de Laurentiis.
The Italian website claim the Saints are the only club to have made a ‘concrete’ offer for the forward, which stood at €14-15m.
That’s €10m less than what Napoli actually want for the player, causing the whole operation to be put on ‘stand-by’ with less than two weeks of the transfer window left.
Reports in Italy suggested the Serie A side would be willing to accept a bit less if bonuses added up to around €22m, but Southampton’s offer isn’t even close to that figure.
The message from Napoli is rather clear: “Up the offer or miss out”.
