Napoli have put Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson at the top of their wish list as they seek an alternative to Rasmus Hojlund.
Corriere del Mezzogiorno report that sporting director Giovanni Manna is already active on the transfer market for next season to find an alternative to the Danish forward.
Brighton striker tops the list
The newspaper explains that while Romelu Lukaku is in the squad, he’s expected to depart this summer. The Belgian has fallen out with the Serie A side after staying in Belgium for treatment for an injury, against the club’s wishes.
That’s strained his relationship with them and, alternatives are now being sought. Manna is working on several profiles, while looking to avoid breaking the bank.
According to the newspaper, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson is ‘above all’ in the current thinking. He’s’ spent the season on loan at Roma, but it hasn’t gone well. They’re not buying him at the end of the season.
That could let Napoli ‘seize the opportunity’ for a striker that they’ve ‘always admired’ for his physical strength. There is no mention of what Napoli would be willing to spend, though.
Corriere do make it clear, though, that Manna has to be careful with the finances and there is a need to ‘cut costs’ at the club overall. That suggests they won’t be coming and offering Brighton vast sums.
A loan deal sees likely
Transfermarkt currently value the 21-year-old at €25m. That’s a significantly lower fee than the €65m he was valued at in 2023. Napoli are very unlikely to spend that kind of money on him at this point, though.
Instead, this interest is very likely to develop into a loan bid. That is what they did with Rasmus Hojlund this season.
They paid a €6m loan fee to Manchester United for the season. They will turn that into a permanent this summer. A similar deal for Evan Ferguson might make sense and would fit the need to cut costs.
For now, it seems that Manna is simply drawing up his list of options, but the Brighton striker is at the top of it.
