Arsenal and Chelsea are both hoping to strengthen their squads before the summer transfer window shuts. Both clubs are monitoring Napoli’s movements closely, with each side eager to sell a forward to the Italian side. However, the Naples club must first move a player out before any incoming transfers can be finalised.
Napoli recently completed the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Fenerbahçe for roughly £5 million, ending a frustrating two-year stint for the Belgian marksman. He managed just five top-flight appearances during that period because of injury and fitness concerns.
Consequently, Napoli are searching for a new centre-forward, with several names having circulated. Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus has featured in speculation about a move to the Serie A club throughout the summer.
Jesus has found himself increasingly marginalised in north London, with Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival twelve months ago reducing his standing in Mikel Arteta’s plans. As such, a departure before the 1 September cutoff appears increasingly probable. Yet Jesus is not the sole striker to have attracted Napoli’s interest recently.
Chelsea have also fielded an enquiry regarding Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese forward is contracted to Stamford Bridge until 2033 but appears to have no clear route into the team. After spending last term on loan at Bayern Munich, Jackson has returned to west London still out of favour, this time under Xabi Alonso rather than Enzo Maresca, who has since moved to Manchester City.
Chelsea are expected to persist with Joao Pedro leading the line, with the Brazilian having recently been assigned the number nine shirt previously worn by Liam Delap last season.
Given these links, both Arsenal and Chelsea will be eager to negotiate with Napoli to shift unwanted players and potentially recruit new faces. However, these Premier League clubs must wait for Napoli to move another player out to accommodate a replacement striker.
According to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Noa Lang could be the player who creates space in Napoli’s squad. Reports suggest Atalanta are optimistic about securing a loan agreement for the Dutch winger, which would provide Napoli with both financial flexibility and squad space to evaluate their options between Jesus, Jackson and Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.