West Ham United were willing to pay £23 million for Nikola Maksimovic in the summer but could soon land the Napoli defender for free, according to Calciomercato.
With Kalidou Koulibaly seemingly set for life at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, another Naples-based centre-back has taken his place in the gossip columns.
And with good reason.
Maksimovic is due to become a free agent in July.
The Serbia international has made it clear if Napoli want him to stay, they will have to offer him a new, £40,000-a-week deal.
Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis initially granted Maksimovic’s wish before the pandemic but the resulting financial fallout forced him to renege on the agreement.
Now it seems inevitable Maksimovic will pack his bags and bid farewell to the Serie A giants in four months’ time.
West Ham offered £14 million late last summer and would have been happy to raise their bid closer to £23 million.
Napoli rejected that approach out of hand but could be left red-faced as Maksimovic closes in on free agency.
CM claims his agent, Fali Ramadani, is in talks with clubs in Germany, as well as Italian giants Inter and AC Milan.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
