Napoli head coach Antonio Conte reportedly identifies a Premier League midfielder as a key target this summer, and the Serie A giants have already seen an opening offer rejected.
Napoli head coach Antonio Conte has identified Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Billy Gilmour as a key target this summer, according to a report.
Conte was appointed Napoli boss last month and has already set about overhauling his first-team squad following the club’s disappointing 10th-placed finish last season, 12 months after winning the Serie A title.
The 54-year-old prioritised reinforcements in defence at the beginning of the summer, with Alessandro Buongiorno, Rafa Marin and Leonardo Spinazzola all joining Napoli for a combined fee in the region of £40m.
Multiple reports now claim that Conte is keen to reunite with Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who is allegedly prepared to take a significant wage cut to force through a move to Napoli in a deal which could be worth £35m.
Lukaku, who has returned to Chelsea after spending last season on loan at Roma, is not the only Premier League player said to be on Conte’s radar, though.
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Napoli to step up Gilmour pursuit
According to several media outlets, Napoli have seen an offer of £8m rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for midfielder Billy Gilmour.
BBC Sport claims that the offer was regarded as an initial approach and that Napoli will return with an improved bid as they believe they can complete a transfer of the Scotland international.
A separate report from talkSPORT claims that Brighton could be tempted to cash in on Gilmour if they were to receive an offer of at least £12m.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph claims that Napoli will make a move for the 23-year-old next week, with the Italian club set to formalise their interest as Conte has identified the midfielder as a key target.
Conte briefly worked with Gilmour during his time in charge of Chelsea, but the Italian left Stamford Bridge shortly before the midfielder was handed his senior debut under Frank Lampard.
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Napoli impressed with Gilmour rise
Gilmour made only 22 first-team appearances for Chelsea before joining Brighton for around £7.5m in the summer of 2022, and he has since featured regularly for the Seagulls.
Under former boss Roberto De Zerbi, Gilmour made 17 appearances in his debut campaign before playing 41 times across all competitions last season, including 30 outings in the Premier League and eight in the Europa League.
The deep-lying playmaker is a 30-cap Scotland international who represented his country at Euro 2024, playing in all three group-stage matches.
Gilmour has two years remaining on his contract at Brighton and he is currently away with Fabian Hurzeler‘s squad on their pre-season tour of Japan.
