West Ham and Everton ready to vie for unhappy Napoli striker
Published:
Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini could be on his way to the Premier League this January, with West Ham and Everton reportedly keen on signing the 24-year-old.
The former Sampdoria man has started just five of Gli Azzurri’s 10 Serie A games this season and hasn’t featured for more than 65 minutes in any of those.
Gabbiadini has a solitary goal to his name this term, while a red card against Crotone only served to worsen the mood in Naples.
The 6ft 2in striker has allegedly grown tired of the lack of game-time with the Serie A greats, starting just four times last season while making 19 appearances from the bench.
A solid 15 goals from 33 games in the 2014-15 season is the kind of form prospective suitors will be hoping to rediscover should they sign the six-time Italian international.
With a transfermarkt.co.uk value of just over £14m, plus a contract lasting until 2019, Gabbiadini is unlikely to move for anything under £20m.
But for Everton and West Ham, two sides looking to establish themselves in the top half of the Premier League, that may be a fee they feel can be justified.
The Toffees are clearly looking to make some moves in January, with Ronald Koeman’s outfit heavily linked with Manchester United duo Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin.
And for the Hammers, it’s believed Slaven Bilic needs to bring in a couple of players in the mid-season window in an effort to persuade star man Dimiiri Payet to stay in east London.
At 24, Gabbiadini’s best years should still lie very much ahead of him, and his physical stature should ensure he’s a handful for Premier League defences.
Throw in a flexibility to play as a target man, a second striker or even on the right wing, and there are plenty of reasons why we could see the former Atalanta striker on English shores early in 2017.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
