Alex Meret wants to leave Napoli with Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur identifying the Napoli goalkeeper as a potential Hugo Lloris replacement, as reported by Calciomercato.
And who can blame him, really?
Despite starting Napoli’s first two games of the new campaign, a fractured vertebrae in September not only ruled Meret out of a 2-1 victory over Juventus, it also saw him lose his place to former Arsenal man David Opsina.
The £30 million shot-stopper has not been seen since, despite being fully fit.
He’s been left on the bench for each of Napoli’s last 15 Serie A games, including Sunday’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Scudetto rivals AC Milan.
It feels unlikely that the odd Europa League outing will be enough to satisfy Meret’s demands for regular first-team football either. But, then again, would a move to England actually improve his situation?
Or would it simply be more of the same?
Will Alex Meret join Tottenham from Napoli?
According to The Independent, Tottenham Hotspur have identified the two-time Italy international as a potential long-term successor for Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham’s captain is a decade Meret’s senior and will celebrate his 35th birthday on Boxing Day.
Conte wants Lloris to stay on for at least another season, however, with his current contract expiring in July (Football London).
And what Conte wants, Conte usually gets.
Meret, then, would probably have to bide his time if he swapped Napoli for North London. Conte still sees Lloris as Tottenham’s number one despite his advancing years.
Who will replace Hugo Lloris at Tottenham?
As a result, Atalanta loanee Pierluigi Gollini featuring just once since the end of October.
As it stands, it seems unlikely that Spurs will trigger the near-£13 million option-to-buy clause in Gollini’s contract.
But would Meret accept a back-seat role behind Lloris in Conte’s pecking order? Playing second fiddle until the World Cup winner hangs up his gloves?
Given that a lack of regular minutes is reason behind his frustration at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the answer to that question may be a resounding ‘no’.
“He is a great talent,” former Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti said of Meret in 2018. “He truly is a special goalkeeper.”
Tottenham are also keen on another talented shot-stopper named ‘Alex’ – Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro.
Remiro appeared to rule out a January departure recently however.
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