Napoli holding midfielder Stanislav Lobotka is being pursued by Manchester City and Chelsea, according to RAI journalist Ciro Venerato.
The 42-cap Slovakian international is reportedly poised to sign a contract extension with the Serie A table-toppers but Venerato says it hasn’t stopped the two Premier League clubs from making enquiries:
“We’re not there yet [in terms of signing a new contract]. Napoli are willing to pay him 2.5 million euros a season, the player’s entourage instead aspires to snatch a contract worth over three million euros from the club. But there is confidence between the parties for a positive conclusion of the deal. He has received at least two phone calls – one from Chelsea, the other from Manchester City.”
City’s interest in Lobotka is unsurprising. He is a technically gifted player, who can dictate tempo from deep-lying areas; a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s style of play.
The Citizens are likely to lose Ilkay Gundogan when his contract expires in June, while there are also doubts over the future of Bernardo Silva so signing a new midfielder is a priority.
From Venerato’s remarks, though, it doesn’t appear as if Lobotka will be a target, with talks over a new contract seemingly progressing well. Negotiations could, though, still break down so we shall see how this transfer story unfolds in the coming weeks.