Napoli Set to Agree €25m Deal for Young Serie A Goalkeeping Sensation as Pepe Reina Successor
Napoli are understood to have agreed in principle a €25m deal for highly-rated Italian goalkeeper Alex Meret from Udinese.
Quoting Italian broadcaster Sportitalia, website Alfredo Pedullaexplained a rough agreement had been reached between the two Serie A sides.
The deal is understood to still have some remaining details to be worked out between the two parties before it is signed and ratified. Meret is a product of the Udinese youth setup and is highly lauded in Italian football as an exciting prospect for the future.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper has never made a senior league appearance for Udinese. Meret did feature for his club in two Coppa Italia games during the 2015/16 season.
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Meret has spent the last two seasons on loan at SPAL and has been pivotal to the side's remarkable rise in Italian football. The Udine-born goalkeeper featured 30 times in Serie B with the Ferrara club in 2016/17.
Last season, Meret lost his starting place in the side to fellow loanee goalkeeper Alfred Gomis - a Senegalese shotstopper on loan from Torino.
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He featured 13 times for the club last season in Serie A, conceding 16 goals and keeping four clean sheets, as SPAL finished 17th and narrowly survived relegation. Meret has been capped at Under-17, Under-19 and most recently Under-21 levels for Italy.
It is understood Meret would be signing a five-year deal with the Naples club, should a deal for his transfer be agreed.
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He is likely seen by manager Carlo Ancelotti as a player the club can develop over time, serving as a good long-term replacement for ageing goalkeeper Pepe Reina at the club.
