Kostas Manolas Set for €34m Napoli Move After 'Agreement Reached' With Roma
Kostas Manolas is poised to join Napoli from Roma in a deal worth €34m - with midfielder Amadou Diawara moving in the opposite direction.
Having long been touted with a move to the Premier League, the 28-year-old now looks set to remain in Italy - five years after moving to the capital city from Olympiacos in a €15m move.
The Greek defender has a €36m release clause in his Roma deal, which Napoli refused to pay - and therefore they have offered Guinean defensive midfielder Diawara in exchange in order to conclude a deal.
I Giallorossi were seemingly skeptical about accepting the revised bid, but have now been swayed by the decision to include Diawara - who has previously been linked with a move to Premier League side Wolves.
While on the outside looking in it appears the transfers are separate deals, Sky Sport Italia (via Football Italia), as well as journalist Alfredo Pedulla, claim the deal is being disguised as such, but is in fact the same transfer.
The reason for this move is that it will allow Roma to show the profit made from Manolas before the end of the financial year, with the signing of Diawara moved on to the 2019-20 accounts.
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Football Italia go on to state that the Greek will put pen to paper on a contract believed to be worth €3.5m-per-year, with an extra €1m in bonuses.
What lies in wait for Napoli fans is a mouthwatering defensive partnership of Manolas and Kalidou Koulibaly, two of the division's most highly rated centre backs. I Partenopei, as well as manager Carlo Ancelotti, will hope the duo can help bridge the gap to Juventus, who won an astounding eighth consecutive Scudetto last season.
