Napoli step up transfer chase: move for Diouf, waiting on Juanlu | OneFootball

With the start of the championship just around the corner, Napoli is accelerating in the market to deliver a competitive and complete squad to Antonio Conte.

Napoli, sprint in the market: assault on Diouf and waiting for Juanlu

Two weeks away from the official closing of negotiations, the blue club is working on multiple fronts: in its sights is Andy Diouf of Lens to strengthen the midfield, while waiting for the final response from Sevilla for the external player Juanlu.

Target Diouf: Napoli negotiates with Lens

Napoli has chosen Diouf as the ideal profile for the midfield. Born in 2003, the French midfielder has great physicality and technical quality, representing a strategic investment also in view of the Serie A list, being an Under player.

After watching him for a long time, the blue club has presented a proposal close to 20 million euros and has already found an agreement in principle with the player for a contract until 2030.

Lens, which in 2023 had already negotiated with Napoli for defender Danso, this time appears more open to a possible sale. Diouf remains a starter for Franck Haise – yesterday he played all 90 minutes against Lyon in the Ligue 1 debut – but the right offer could convince the French club to let him leave.

Who is Andy Diouf

Age: 22 years

Role: central midfielder, left-handed

Characteristics: great resistance, quality in ball recovery, defensive coverage, and generosity.

Path: grown in Rennes, he excelled with Basel (winning the award as the best young player in the Conference League 2023) before arriving at Lens.

Individual honors: included in the list of 25 finalists for the Golden Boy 2023.

An international profile, young and already with 66 appearances in Ligue 1, who could give new energy to Conte's midfield.

Chapter on external players: Juanlu and Gutierrez

In parallel, Napoli is still waiting for the final response from Sevilla for Juanlu Sanchez, a right external player who is very much liked by the technical staff. The negotiation is underway, but not yet concluded.

On the left front, instead, everything is ready for the arrival of Miguel Gutierrez from Girona. The agreement has been defined for 18 million plus 1 million in bonuses: the 24-year-old full-back is expected soon in Italy for medical visits at Villa Stuart. Conte will be able to count on him only from September, when he will complete his recovery from the operation on his right ankle.

Napoli strategy: Conte asks for depth

Napoli is therefore operating with decision to complete the squad. The goal is to deliver to Conte a group not only competitive for Serie A but also able to face the European path with ambition.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.