Napoli, the former team of Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich) and the Italian champions, is facing a happy dilemma over two top English Premier League (EPL) wingers.
British media outlets such as The Sun and Daily Mail reported on the 16th (Korea time) that Napoli plans to sign only one of the two Premier League stars, Jack Grealish (30, Manchester City) and Alejandro Garnacho (21, Manchester United).
Napoli, led by coach Antonio Conte, has recently signed Kevin De Bruyne (34), who left Manchester City, and has begun preparations for next season.
As the next signing is expected to be a winger, Grealish and Garnacho, who are both set to be released by their clubs, have emerged as candidates.
Manchester City paid £100 million for Grealish in 2021, but he has only made seven starts in the 2024-2025 season. Furthermore, he has been excluded from the FIFA Club World Cup roster of 27, entering the process of being released.
Pep Guardiola omitted Grealish from the roster. However, the four players (Rayan Cherki, Tijani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Marcus Bettinelli) newly signed by Manchester City this summer are all included in the club's World Cup entry.
Manchester City has lowered Grealish's price to £45 million (approximately 83.1 billion won). However, the £300,000 (approximately 55 million won) weekly wage that Grealish receives, with two years remaining on his contract, may be a hindrance.
Garnacho is also included in Napoli's list of targets. After being excluded from the starting lineup in the recent UEFA Europa League final against Tottenham, Garnacho expressed dissatisfaction. It is also reported that coach Ruben Amorim told Garnacho to look for another team.
Garnacho has a higher transfer value than Grealish. Manchester United has set Garnacho's transfer fee at £70 million (approximately 129.2 billion won), which is £25 million (approximately 46.2 billion won) more expensive than Grealish.
According to reports, Napoli prefers to sign Grealish this summer. Not only is Grealish an immediate solution, but with De Bruyne already having joined, negotiations between the clubs may be smoother.
However, Napoli believes that investing in Garnacho may be more beneficial in the long run. Since he is still in his early 20s, they see investing in Garnacho as potentially more positive for the future.
Meanwhile, England's national team coach Thomas Tuchel delivered a message to Grealish that "to return to the national team, he needs to play more games." Napoli's choice is expected to be another key point of interest this summer.
[OSEN]