- Napoli faces a deadlock for Sevilla‘s Juanlu Sanchez
- Club’s alternative target is Girona‘s right-back Arnau Martinez
- Girona also about to lose their left-back to Napoli
Napoli are reportedly on the verge of signing Miguel Gutierrez from Girona for €18m (£15m/$20m). The Italian side are now also planning to add Girona’s right-back Martinez to bolster their backline, according to Football Espana. Girona fear they might lose both of their full-backs this summer as Martinez has a release clause in his contract.
Napoli’s first choice was Sevilla’s Juanlu Sanchez, but reportedly the two clubs couldn’t agree on terms, as Sevilla asked for €20m (£17m/$23m) and also wanted to include a 20 percent sell-on clause in Sanchez’s contract. Rebuffed by the Spanish club’s offer, the Italian side switched their targets to Martinez, who has a release clause of €14m (£12m/$16m) and can be persuaded to join the Serie A side.
The 2024-25 Scudetto winners have reportedly agreed on personal terms with Gutierrez. The Spanish defender has been an instrumental part of the Girona team and was also named in the La Liga Team of the Season 2023-24. The ex-Real Madrid player also won the Olympic Gold Medal with the Spain team in 2024. Madrid had kept a 50 per cent stake in the player’s rights, meaning they’ll receive their half from the Gutierrez deal.
After a slow start to the transfer market, President Aurelio De Laurentiis is finally securing some signings as he promised. The club has already signed the players they needed for the frontline, Kevin De Bruyne and Noa Lang, but could be tempted to reignite their interest in Ademola Lookman, whose future is hanging in the balance at Bergamo.
