Lucca set to leave in January as Napoli push for Monza's

Lucca set to leave in January as Napoli push for Monza's Varela

Monza want around €20m for the replacement Giovanni Manna has picked out, and Benfica's buy-back clause could still take the player to Lisbon instead.

by Rosaria CimminoFriday 6 November, 23:17 CET· 4 hours ago

Lucca con la maglia del Udinese — Foto: altopascio.info

Lorenzo Lucca looks set to leave Napoli when the transfer window opens in January. His row with De Bruyne at the Dragão (Porto's stadium) was not a one-off. The rift between the number 20 and much of the squad is described as beyond repair, and it is not only about selection. The two men's characters do not fit, and that night in Porto simply let everyone see it.

The club chose not to fine either Lucca or De Bruyne, to calm things down before the Lazio game. On the transfer front, though, the decision appears to have been made. The striker's time in the dressing room is over, and the club is planning to sell him as soon as the window reopens on 2 January. For now a loan is the most likely outcome.

The numbers do not help his case. He has no goals this season, and in Porto he came on for Politano when the game was already lost.

Manna moves for Varela

Sporting director Giovanni Manna has decided to speed up the search for a replacement and has settled on Varela of Monza. Napoli are thinking of spending between €15m and €18m plus bonuses. Monza want around €20m.

They have a reason to hold out for a higher fee. If they sell, they must pass 20% of the resale on to the player's previous club, which cuts their immediate profit.

Then there is Benfica. The Portuguese club kept a €25m buy-back clause in the earlier deal, and are weighing up whether they can bring the player back to Lisbon by matching other clubs' offers. Monza, bottom of the table with 7 points, must choose between the sporting need to stay up and the financial need to cash in. With another club holding a buy-back option, Napoli are not negotiating alone.

The awkward question

It has to be asked. Manna is already under scrutiny over Badiashile and Okafor, and the Lucca affair is another signing that has not worked. Now the same sporting director is preparing the fix, and it matters that his first choice comes with a 20% sell-on and a clause that could kill the deal. Undoing in January what was built in the summer has a cost, and not only a financial one.

Up front, meanwhile, Højlund has scored three goals in 13 games. The attack needs answers, not just a new name.

Before January, there is everything else. Lazio arrive at the Maradona as league leaders on Sunday 8 November, kick-off 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET), with 28 points to Napoli's 14. Lucca remains in the squad available to Allegri.

The window opens on Saturday 2 January and closes at 20:00 CET on Tuesday 2 February. That is when we will find out whether Varela really arrives, or whether someone in Lisbon decides to match the offer.