Napoli looking to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko and Emerson Palmieri in January
The Serie A side look to pull off a double swoop
Napoli are looking to pull off the double signings of Chelsea players Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Emerson Palmieri in January.
Bakayoko is currently on loan with Napoli and he is impressing there so far this season, and as a result, the Serie A side have agreed a £16 million fee in principle with Chelsea to make the move permanent, according to reports.
It is unclear whether this deal will happen in January, or the summer, but there is every chance the two clubs could look to get the deal tied up this winter.
Meanwhile, they also want to take Emerson on loan in January.
Both players are surplus to requirements at Chelsea now and both will jump at a chance of a totally fresh start elsewhere.
Bakayoko has been a serial loan player since his arrival at the club in 2017, and Emerson has been no more than a squad player since signing from Roma in 2018.
My verdict?
The Bakayoko story is from Gazzetta dello Sport.
Reliability level - Low.
The Emerson story is from Corriere dello Sport.
Reliability level - Low.
Bakayoko has two years left on his Chelsea deal, so it is highly likely that he will be sold very soon. The reported £16 million fee could be feasible, I feel Chelsea will be lucky to get that much and really should get this tied up right away if true.
The thing I am unclear over is whether this deal can be concluded in January, because Bakayoko has a loan contract there until the summer. But there is nothing stopping Napoli agreeing the deal now and signing him permanently in January.
Emerson I feel is liked by Frank Lampard over Marcos Alonso, and I believe that Emerson is his Ben Chilwell backup. One will leave on loan in January, I have no doubt about that, but I feel at the moment there is more chance that it will be Alonso rather than Emerson.