Napoli Agree €35m Deal for Udinese Goalkeeping Duo Alex Meret & Orestis Karnezis
Napoli are believed to be closing in on a deal to sign Udinese goalkeeping duo Orestis Karnezis and Alex Meret. With Pepe Reina heading to Milan when his contract expires in July, Carlo Ancelotti is keen to plan for the future with his soon to sign stoppers.
Ancelotti has big plans for Napoli. Taking over from Maurizio Sarri, the Italian is determined to be the man to finally pull Juventus down from their throne at the top of Italian football. Sarri and his Napoli side came close last season, but now it's Ancelotti's turn - and a squad overhaul is believed to be in the works.
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Starting from the back, the Italian outfit are looking very confident of unveiling two new keepers very soon. According to Gazetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), Napoli have come to an agreement with Udinese over the purchase of Meret and Karnezis, and they'll shell out around €25m up front for the pair, plus an extra €10m in bonuses.
Napoli see Meret as their long term first choice stopper, but want to bring Karnezis (who spent last season on loan with Watford) with him so that the 21-year-old has an experienced teammate to learn from.
While Ancelotti will be delighted to welcome two new faces to the club, he has a big job on his hands with departures.
Kalidou Koulibaly is being closesly monitored by Chelsea, and reports have also linked defensive teammates Raul Albiol and Elseid Hysaj with moves away from the club.
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In midfield, star man Jorginho is heavily expected to leave for Manchester City very soon, and there has also been an increase in reports suggesting Dries Mertens could be leaving the club in attack.
