Napoli 'moving closer' to agreement for Borussia Mönchengladbach defender | OneFootball

Napoli are moving closer to reaching an agreement with Borussia Mönchengladbach for the transfer of Japanese centre-back Ko Itakura,

According to Sky Sport Germany, there is a slight difference in the valuation of the player with Gladbach believing the 26-year-old warrants a €15m fee.

The Serie A champions, meanwhile, are believed to be looking to close the deal for around €12m.

Itakura would serve as a direct replacement for Kim Min-jae, who is expected to officially join Bayern Munich for €50m in the coming days.

It is also said that due to the success enjoyed by Kim in Naples, the Partenopei are interested in signing more Asian players, with names such as Takefuso Kubo and Daichi Kamada also linked to the club in recent weeks.

Itakura has spent the last two seasons in Germany, signing for Gladbach in 2021 but spending his first season on loan at Schalke in Bundesliga 2. Last season he made 25 appearances upon his return.

His signing is considerably cheaper than the fees associated with other targets, namely Max Kilman who the club already had a hefty bid rejected for last week with Wolves looking for an alleged €40m.