Napoli skipper Lorenzo Insigne in action. (Getty Images)
According to Guardian, Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that star forward Lorenzo Insigne has a £178m verbal release clause. However, he would be happy to sell the player if he receives a bid of more than that mentioned in the clause.
Insigne has been one of Napoli’s most consistent attackers for a number of seasons and pledged his long-term future to the club last summer by signing a new five-year contract. (ESPN) A product of Napoli’s youth academy, the 27-year-old made his Serie A debut for the club in 2010 but was loaned out to Cavese, Foggia and Pescara.
However, he had his breakthrough for Napoli in the 2012-13 season when he was considered an ideal replacement for the injured Ezequiel Lavezzi. Since then, the Italian has never looked back and has emerged as one of the hottest properties in the Serie A.
Although his preferred role is on the left flank, he is a hard-working and tactically versatile forward, capable of playing in any offensive position on either side of the pitch, or even through the centre.
In addition to his ability to set-up goals, he is also capable of scoring them himself and is an accurate set-piece taker. Insigne’s resulting low centre of gravity, combined with his creativity, quick feet and technical ability, makes him extremely quick and agile in possession and gives him excellent balance and control of the ball.
He is definitely very good but whether he is good enough to justify that heavy price tag is something that remains to be seen in the coming days. Here are the three ideal destinations in the Premier League for him:-
According to an earlier report from The Express, Jurgen Klopp was interested in making a swoop for Lorenzo Insigne in the summer after the deal to sign Nabil Fekir fell through. Although that did not quite happen, Liverpool have the financial backing to make a bid in January, if possible.
Klopp should look to lure the Italian to Anfield, after signing Xherdan Shaqiri in the summer. Insigne will be the ideal man to act as cover and competition for Sadio Mane down the left.
Liverpool already have Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane as a lethal trio upfront. So, the acquisition of Insigne should be a big boost to their squad.
Given that United’s struggle to score goals consistently, Jose Mourinho should look to sign some players in January to add spark to the team’s attack.
Anthony Martial continues to remain out-of-favour under Mourinho after a mediocre start.
A versatile player capable of linking well with his teammates in the final third and creating opportunities, Insigne could be the perfect man to answer United’s prayers.
Pep Guardiola added Riyad Mahrez to his squad in the summer. However, he should look to use the club’s abundant financial resources to lure yet another European stalwart to the Etihad.
Manchester City have a squad packed with quality resources in all areas of the park. But Guardiola hasn’t used Leroy Sane as often as he did last season and the German has suffered a significant dip in form.
As a result, the Spaniard should look to offload the German in January and bring Insigne ing. Capable of playing as a support striker, the Italian is not expected to clash with Sergio Aguero for a place in the team.