Football General Manager
- Napoli drop out of Lookman race
- Man City and Liverpool outcasts are potential options
- Both players are on long-term contracts
Napoli have backed out of the race to sign Atlanta’s Ademola Lookman after he rejected them and, according to Corriere dello Sport they have identified Manchester City‘s Grealish and Liverpool’s Chiesa, both of whom are expected to leave their respective clubs this summer. While Grealish, who was a €100 million (£86m/$117m) signing back in 2021, has two years left on his contract, Chiesa penned a long-term deal until 2028 at Anfield last summer. But minimal game-time for both players has urged them to find new clubs.
In their last Premier League fixture against Fulham, City boss Pep Guardiola handed Claudio Echeverri his debut, despite having Grealish on the bench. This seemingly made clear that the English winger is not part of Guardiola’s plans and City now want to offload him. Chiesa, who joined the Reds last summer, enjoyed only 466 minutes across 14 games across all competitions and is now ready to step out of Anfield, even on loan. After securing the services of Kevin De Bruyne, Conte wants to rectify the flanks, and either of the two wingers could be a possible solution to the team’s problem.
Apart from the aforementioned stalwarts, Conte’s side are also monitoring RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa and might go after his signature in case they fail to land either Grealish or Chiesa.
The Serie A defending champions will be engaging in five friendly games before starting their domestic campaign against Sassuolo on August 23.