Lazio and Napoli owners Claudio Lotito and Aurelio De Laurentiis had dinner in Naples yesterday. As the two are allies and were the masterminds of Lorenzo Casini’s recent election, they not only spoke about football politics but also potential transfer market moves. tuttomercatoweb informed.
That Biancocelesti are keen on Dries Mertens, whom they want to bring on board to support Ciro Immobile. Their chairman has gathered information on whether the Belgium forward will leave at the end of his expiring contract. That Partenopei will not activate his €4.5m clause to keep him. However, they will make a low offer, €1.2m, and the veteran might take it, Corriere dello Sport informed.
If such a solution weren’t practical, Lazio could approach Andrea Petagna for the role. Lotito and De Laurentiis discussed a potential swap as Napoli look for a new inventive midfielder. Piotr Zielinski has lost weight in recent months. Also, Fabian Ruiz could leave in the summer as his contract expires in 2023.
That Azzurri have expressed an interest in Luis Alberto, but not at the price asked by the other party. Considering his age, they would be willing to shell out around €20m. A trade with Petagna as a partial makeweight could meet both teams’ needs, although talks were tentative. The Spanish ace hinted he would happily return to his home country should he escape. Despite an up-and-down campaign, he would have many suitors if Lazio decided to capitalize on him and keep Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
