Sime Vrsaljko Thought to Have Agreed Swoop to Napoli But Negotiations Are Still to Be Discussed

Napoli may have finally managed to convince Atletico Madrid centre-back Sime Vrsaljko to join them in January as a replacement for injured Faouzi Ghoulam, who has been sidelined for long due to a problem at the cruciate ligaments. 

Naples newspaper Il Mattino (via  TuttoNapoli) reports that the Croatian defender has reportedly said yes to Napoli and would be ready to join the Serie A leaders during the winter transfer window. 

However, negotiations still have to formally kick off, with Atletico Madrid waiting for Diego Simeone's approval and are keen to discuss monetary arrangements. 

The Argentine coach may, however, not be the one to tip the balance in this occasion, as he himself is thought to be considering to leave the club and is not certain as to his future in Madrid.

Napoli reportedly want to offer a five-year contract to target Vrsaljko with a deal that would earn him €2.4m-per-season. 

An initial contact between the Croatian's agent, Atletico negotiators and Napoli's sports director Cristiano Giuntoli has been made, but nothing will be done until Simeone has made his choice on him. 

This season, the Madrid side have been struggling to put up with last year's brilliant European performances, catastrophically losing in Champions League to Chelsea and failing to earn three points in a single match. Therefore, they risk, now, to be eliminated from the competition and throw the club into a huge crisis. 

Fears of such circumstance to happen may also push Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco to leave a sinking ship and look to play in Europe for another club. 

Napoli, on the other hand, are enjoying an incredible start to the season and find themselves at the top of the Serie A table. 

Little needs to be changed within the Partenopea side, although a few setbacks, like Ghoulam and Milik's cruciate problems, forced the team to urgently find replacements.