According to reports in Italy, Napoli are holding a meeting with Inter striker Mauro Icardi over a possible €60m switch ahead of the transfer deadline.
The Partenopei are searching for a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain after his move to Juventus last month, although they have already acquired Arkadiusz Milik from Ajax.
Nevertheless, according to calciomercato.it, a meeting is being held between club officials and representatives of the Argentine forward over a €60m move on Wednesday.
Further, it’s added that Napoli are willing to offer a money-plus-player exchange, with a €50m plus Manolo Gabbiadini bid reportedly on the table too.
Whether or not either offer is accepted remains to be seen, but it’s not positive news for Arsenal who have also been linked with a move for the 23-year-old this summer, while Chelsea have reportedly also entered the race, as noted by the Metro.
The Gunners are desperate to add firepower to their squad this month, and although Olivier Giroud has been their most consistent scorer in recent years, it hasn’t been enough to end their wait for another Premier League title nor a triumph in the Champions League.
Theo Walcott has also played as a lone striker for Arsene Wenger at times, but his tally of 15 goals in the last three years compared to Icardi’s 47 in the same time period shows that the quality and consistency just isn’t there outside of the Frenchman.
With few other options, Wenger needs a proven goalscorer in his group to fire them to trophies this season, and Icardi may well be the solution to his problem.
However, as noted above, the French tactician will have to move quickly in order to avoid losing out to Napoli, who are seemingly set on making the former Sampdoria man their marquee signing this summer to deliver a big name to supporters after the disappointment of seeing Higuain leave for their bitter rivals.