Premier League strugglers Aston Villa reportedly want Napoli’s Serie A veteran Jose Callejon – could Diogo Jota replace him at the Stadio San Paolo?
Just last summer, Hirving Lozano sprinted his way into the history books to become the most expensive footballer in the history of Napoli.
But, as long as Gennaro Gattuso remains at the helm of a bona fide Serie A giant, an explosive, £34 million international will always remain stuck behind a 33-year-old veteran with just two goals to his name all season.
As reported by Tuttomercatoweb, the former AC Milan boss wants his wingers to knit the play effectively in the final third with tidy, one or two-touch passes rather than singe the eyebrows of full-backs everywhere with a fearsome burst of pace.
That’s why Lozano is on the bench. And that’s why Jose Callejon is playing, week-in-week out, even with his contract due to expire in the summer.
According to ArenaNapoli, Aston Villa are watching the situation closely with the former Real Madrid forward linked with a bargain move to the Midland giants – if Dean Smith can guide his boyhood club away from the jaws of relegation that is.
And with Tuttomercatoweb reporting that Napoli have identified none other than Diogo Jota as a potential replacement, an Aston Villa target might just be replaced by an in-form Premier League forward ripping full-backs to shreds down the road in Wolverhampton.
As it stands, Napoli will be powerless to prevent Callejon’s departure, meaning they will go all-out for an immediate successor during the off-season.
The £12 million Jota is something of a mix between Lozano and Callejon, blessed with rapid acceleration but intelligent enough on the ball to link with an Arkadiusz Milik-style targetman and keep possession effectively in the final third.
And his arrival in Naples, hypothetically at least, might just pave the way for Callejon to embark on a belated sojourn of English shores. Then again, with Wolves looking to smash the glass ceiling into smithereens, it would take something rather special for Napoli to convince one of Europe’s most ambitious outfits to cash in on a star player.
Backed as they are by those Chinese billionaires, Wolves aren’t exactly operating on a shoestring.
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