Liverpool enter the race for 30-year-old Italian star amid contract standoff

Transfer News: Liverpool interested in Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne

According to transfer news from the Mirror, Liverpool are interested in signing Napoli captain and Italy forward Lorenzo Insigne amidst a contract standoff with the club.

A product of the Napoli youth academy, Insigne has spent his entire playing career with the Partenopei barring a couple of loan spells very early in his career. Over the recent years, the 30-year-old has grown into one of the most consistent forwards in Serie A with the Naples-based outfit.

Elevated to the status of club captain, Insigne has made near 400 appearances for the Serie A outfit, in which he has 194 direct goal involvements (109G, 85A). The 30-year-old has also been lighting it up at the UEFA Euro 2020 with Italy, helping them through to the semi-finals.

The 30-year-old scored a stunning goal in the quarter-final win against Belgium last week. However, with his contract at Napoli expiring in less than a year, Insigne’s performances have put him in the shopping window, with Liverpool joining Tottenham in race for his transfer.

Insigne wants a salary of €5m per year , but Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli’s president, doesn’t want to offer more than €3.5m a year. When quizzed about his captain’s future, De Laurentiis had the following to say

“Lorenzo knows that he is a product of our academy. If then he is tired and wants to go around Europe it is his choice to [make].”

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With the situation being as it is, this could open up a window of opportunity for Liverpool to make a swoop. The Reds could use someone of Insigne’s quality, especially considering that Sadio Mane had a difficult year last time out. Furthermore, the Senegalese speedster, along with Mo Salah, will be going away for the AFCON 2022.

So, added depth in attack becomes important. And Insigne, who has proven his worth at club and international level, is in the final year of his contract and has modest wage demands in comparison to Premier League standards, would be quite the coup.