Napoli target Monza striker Varela for January but may wait until June

Serie A's top scorer, who scored against Napoli on Wednesday, is reported to be the club's first target for the winter window. There are two ways to sign him, and one of them leaves him at Monza for the rest of the season.

by Rosaria CimminoFriday 30 October, 12:08 CET· 12 hours ago

Gustavo Varela (calciatore 2005) — Foto: Nehme1499 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Varela is reported to be at the top of Napoli's list for January. The club are said to be ready to move for the Monza striker, who leads the Serie A scoring charts. He is the same player who equalised in the 43rd minute on Wednesday 28 October, before Napoli pulled away after the break to win 4-1 at Monza.

Monza want around €20m, and that figure is not thought to worry the board. The new element is different. Sporting director Giovanni Manna reportedly has two options, and only one of them brings Varela to Naples this season.

The first is to sign him in January and bring him straight in. The second is to complete the deal and leave him at Monza until June.

Two things are expected to decide it. The first is outgoing players, starting with finding a club for Lucca. The second is Monza's league position. If they are comfortable, or at least well clear of relegation, they could cash in straight away. If they are in a relegation fight, Varela would become essential to them and would be unlikely to leave. Then there is Benfica's €25m buy-back clause on the player, which we have covered before. It remains the complication that sits above any fee.

Why Napoli need a striker

The need is in attack. Napoli are playing in the league, the Coppa Italia (Italy's cup competition) and the Champions League, and Højlund cannot play every game on his own. The number 19 scored at Monza, his first goal since 5 September. That shows how long the attack has leaned on a centre-forward who was not scoring.

Behind him is Lucca, who cost €35m. The club would be willing to let him go in January, probably on loan. His departure is the key that would open the door to Varela.

The squad bill has a name

Let us be clear. If Napoli go after a €20m striker in January, the €35m gamble has not worked. Whoever built the squad answers for that gamble. It is the same sporting director who, in an interview recorded in September, described Napoli as a team "probably at the end of a cycle".

"probably at the end of a cycle"

Fixing a mistake is the right thing to do. But the second option, buying Varela and leaving him at Monza until June, would fix next season's attack. It would do nothing for a team that is seventh in Serie A with 14 points and 22nd in the Champions League with 3. The problem is now, not in June.

Supporters are already asking another question: do goals scored elsewhere count at the Maradona? The Lucca case says it is not automatic. A top scorer at a club without the same pressure as Napoli is still an unknown. That is our reading, not a verdict. Varela scored against Napoli, and a striker who punishes Napoli is the best calling card there is.

The window reopens on Saturday 2 January 2027 and closes on Tuesday 2 February at 20:00 CET. Before that come Juventus v Napoli at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday 1 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET), Porto v Napoli on Wednesday 4 November at 21:00 CET, and Napoli v Lazio at the Maradona on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET.

The Varela decision will come in January. In the meantime, Højlund has to keep scoring, starting on Sunday.