Napoli among clubs tracking Mastantuono as his Fiorentina loan ends in June

Franco Mastantuono's time in Florence has an end date: June. The Argentine joined Fiorentina from Real Madrid on a straight loan with no option to buy. At the end of the season he goes back to Spain, and Fiorentina have no way of keeping him. According to reports in the last few hours, Napoli are among the clubs waiting for that date.

The queue is long, though. Fiorentina have reportedly asked Real for another year on loan, and talks are said to have started already. Milan and Roma are also interested in Italy, and Fulham have reportedly made a move from England. Real are in no hurry. They are taking their time over the offers, knowing they have one of the most sought-after players of next summer.

The problem is not the name, it is where we start from

It is easy to see the appeal. He is left-footed and technical, and he can play as a number ten or start wide on the right. That is the creativity this Napoli side has lacked while injuries forced Allegri to keep changing his starting XI: 19 players have had physical problems since the start of the season, almost 80% of the squad.

The right flank is already a concern for the future. Neres could leave in January and has suitors in Brazil. The other winger Napoli have been tracking, Cacciamani, is blocked by Cairo, who wants €45m and will not sell in January.

But it has to be said plainly. If the race is against Milan and Roma, Napoli start behind, and money is not the reason. Roma are third on 27 points and Milan fourth on 24. Napoli are tenth on 15, 9 points off the fourth place Allegri set as the target. Those 15 points after 11 rounds equal the lowest total of the De Laurentiis era. Real and Mastantuono's representatives will want to know which competitions he would play in before he chooses where to develop. Right now, Napoli's answer is weak.

There is another side to it. A plan for June solves nothing now. For January, the club is thinking about a window of swap deals paid for by sales, and it would take at least three big departures to fund any signings. New arrivals also come with a stated condition: Napoli must get to within four or five points of fourth place. So the same club that dreams of an Argentine number ten for the summer has tied its immediate reinforcements to the table. On financial grounds, that is understandable. But it means the points won over the next two months will also shape the summer.

The first of those points is on offer on Saturday 21 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET) at the Diego Armando Maradona against Torino. It is Napoli's first home game since the fans' protest at the Lazio match. If Napoli want to turn up in Madrid in June with something to offer beyond wages, that is where they have to start.