Five candidates to replace Lukaku in Napoli

The penalty area used to be crowded — Napoli had classic strikers as well as “false nines.” Now they only have Lorenzo Lucca, who signed this July and filled Udinese’s coffers. Trouble has struck Antonio Conte and, against all expectations, Napoli has been forced to open a search. It wouldn’t have come to this if Romelu Lukaku hadn’t suffered an injury to one of the four quadriceps muscles; because of it, he will almost certainly be sidelined until the end of the year. Aurelio De Laurentiis, the controversial owner, together with Antonio Conte and the rest of the sporting sector, got to work, digging deep, and among Napoli’s main targets in the coming weeks will be a couple of strikers.

“Big Rom” is out, and Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone are also gone. So, a striker is urgently needed. Everything will proceed quickly, and according to Gianluca Di Marzio, five strikers are currently under consideration. That’s the “freshest” shortlist… The situation with Dušan Vlahović is peculiar. Fans whistle at him, and many players would have already left, but not the Serbian. Reportedly, he told the club management he would stay until the end of his contract, which means another year. However, there are many suitors. Milan has entered the race — sporting director Igli Tare confirmed that the Rossoneri are considering him. Juventus, meanwhile, is trying to find a solution regarding their Serbian striker; it would suit them if Vlahović agreed to leave so they could profit. Napoli could be that club, but many others have been linked with the Juventus forward — Atletico Madrid, Al Hilal, Flamengo… Most of these moves were either unrealistic or only possible under certain conditions that never materialized.

Big blow for Napoli – Lukaku sidelined until the end of the year!?

There is also a scramble for Nikola Krstović. At Lecce, just like at Juventus, there’s a long queue at the door. Leeds, Roma, Juventus, Inter, Wolfsburg (who considered 25 million euros too much), and Atalanta (who still haven’t given up) have all inquired. At least Napoli knows the asking price here — how much they must pay to satisfy the southern Italian club’s demands. Other options include Andrea Pinamonti from Sassuolo, Breel Embolo from Monaco (who have financial troubles), and also Rasmus Hojlund. Manchester United doesn’t need him, according to Rúben Amorim. They’d rather keep Joshua Zirkzee alongside Benjamin Šeško, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo. The Danish striker has been put on the market, and here too, as with Dušan Vlahović, Napoli will face the same competitor — Milan, who have also cast a line.