Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu has been ‘proposed’ to Napoli, according to Calciomercato.
The Japan international is behind Ben White for the right-back slot while Mikel Arteta has mainly used him as a left-back this season. He has managed a goal and three assists from 19 games, which includes five league starts.
Arsenal signed the 25-year-old from Bologna in 2021. His past experience in Italy, coupled with his versatility and reliability makes him very popular among a few Serie A sides.
It’s claimed there’s a possibility for him to return to Italy in January and the option to join the Naples club has emerged in the ‘last few hours’, after he was offered to them.
Walter Mazzarri’s side will have to overcome the ‘double problem’ to acquire his services next month.
Arteta is the first obstacle for the Serie A winners as he considers Tomiyasu as a resource despite not giving him regular minutes this season.
Calciomercato state the Arsenal manager could change his stance if Napoli were to table a ‘good offer’, which would then allow the north London club to find his successor.
Tomiyasu is likely to represent his national team at the Asian Cup in January and if Japan were to make it to the final, Napoli cannot rely upon him until mid-February.
This is the second obstacle, and the ‘double problem’ doesn’t make a potential deal easy for Napoli.
