Napoli transfer round-up

By: Neil | January 15th, 2009

Napoli has reached an agreement with Polish club Polonia Warsaw to sign defender Tomasz Jodlowiec. The 23 year old central defender was almost signed by Napoli last summer, but at the last minute the deal fell through. Now the player is on his way to Napoli for a fee of about 1.5 million Euros. The transfer won’t take place until the summer, as Jodlowiec wants to finish the season in Poland.

According to the Poland world cup blog Jodlowiec is a fringe member of the Polish national team and is looking to play at a higher level to strengthen his position there. And he’ll make ten times more money at Napoli.

The Partenopei have reportedly also made an offer for Racing midfielder Claudio Jacob. The fee would be about 6 million Euros, and like Jodlowiec Yacob would only arrive in the summer as he wants to finish the Argentine Clausura before leaving. However, this deal has not yet been made official and it could be rejected or fall through for some other reason.

Napoli are also seriously interested in San Lorenzo midfielder Pablo Barrientos. The 23 year old attacking player has come highly recommended by Lavezzi, and has also been picked by Maradona for the national team. Barrientos has two years experience playing in Russia for FC Moscow, so he should have no problems adapting to Europe. Like the other deals, this one will be for next summer as well.

Closer to the peninsula, Napoli are observing Atalanta’s attacking midfielder Luca Cigarini, who is co-owned by Parma. The 22 year old has not been a regular starter for the Bergamaschi this season and Napoli is one of many teams that is interested. My question is: If he has undisputed talent, why can’t he crack Atalanta’s starting lineup? Are Napoli going to improve their midfield by buying players who can’t find a place at a mid-table team?

Finally, Cannavaro still hasn’t renewed at Real Madrid and his contract expires in June. And with current President Ramon Calderon set to resign, there could be a new President who might push the club in a new direction. It’s getting more and more likely that Canna will play elsewhere next year, but can Napoli afford his wage demands? Even if Canna is in peak form it’s not Napoli’s policy to spend that kind of money on a 36 year old. But I’m hoping they’ll make an exception for Fabio.

Up next: Chievo Verona at the Bentegodi on Sunday. This one could be an ugly game to watch.