Celtic turned down the chance to sign Napoli centre-back Sebastiano Luperto, according to popular Naples outlet AreaNapoli.
The report states that an “international intermediary” provided Celtic with a chance to take Luperto, valued at €5m (4.5m). However, the Hoops weren’t interested in any such deal for the Italy under-21 international.
AreaNapoli believe that the Serie A club is looking to offload Luperto this summer. This is due to his wage demands despite the fact he only made 12 appearances for the club last season.
Indeed, Luperto only started eight of Napoli’s matches last term, as he was frequently resigned to a spot on the bench for Gennaro Gattuso’s men (Transfermarkt).
The centre-back has been capped at all youth levels for his country, and featured in the under-21s last double-header against Austria and Croatia respectively. He’s yet to make an appearance for the Italians at senior level.
Parma, Leece, Benevento, and Genoa have also been linked with an interest in the player by AreaNapoli.
Wages seem like the obvious barrier
It’s no secret that Celtic are in the market for a new centre-back this summer. With Jozo Simunovic’s departure still leaving a hole in our squad with regards to depth, the Hoops need a replacement and soon.
However, the striking aspect about this report is the fact that Napoli seemingly want to let Luperto go due to his wage demands. If a top Serie A club sees cash as the main problem, it’s difficult to see how Celtic get a deal done given the difference in income.
There’s no denying that Luperto has pedigree. He has 29 appearances for the Napoli first-team and has experienced Champions League football. He also has 60 Serie B outings to his name too (Transfermarkt). It’s a decent enough haul at just 23 considering the level of club he plays for.
There’s clearly massive potential in the Napoli defender. If the opportunity was there to do a deal at a reasonable price then it would be hard to see why we wouldn’t take a punt.
But if wages are going to be an issue, that’s always going to be a sign of things to come in the future. If Luperto is holding Napoli to ransom, Celtic have done the right thing in avoiding.
In other news, Ferencvaros’ sporting director has labeled the Celtic Park atmosphere as “terrifying”.
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