Mercato Madness: Napoli pursuing young Scottish star

The end of the transfer window is fast approaching, and rumors are starting to come thick and fast. The latest Napoli rumor of interest has them registering an interest in acquiring one of the bright young lights of Scotland's youth system in recent years, Aberdeen midfielder Ryan Jack.

Jack, who has played 20 league matches for Aberdeen this season with two goals to his credit, is generally considered to be one of the best of the upcoming generation of Scottish talent. The box-to-box midfielder has a lot of energy and drive, using his high motor to support his squad at both ends of the pitch.

While Jack likely wouldn't be a regular starter quite yet in Napoli's current setup, having a midfielder like him on your bench is never a bad thing, especially since he can also play a little right back in a pinch, though it's not his long-term position. Of interesting note, though, is that in 29 all-competitions matches this season, Jack has failed to the full 90 minutes just once, when he played 71 minutes in an early-round League Cup match against a second-division side that Aberdeen won 4-0 with little strain. He did miss three matches with a knee injury several months ago, but bounced back strongly and quickly.

Aberdeen apparently are willing to take just €2.6 million for Jack, which seems a bargain considering his potential talent. While it's unusual for players from the United Kingdom to come to Italy lately, apparently Jack is very interested in such a move. Heading to a club with a chance at regular Champions League football probably doesn't hurt, since Aberdeen has little to no realistic shot at that any time soon with Celtic dominating the Scottish top league.

If Napoli can get this deal done, it'd be one well worth making. Getting the chance to sign a young, talented midfielder with versatility for such a low fee is not something that comes along very often, so Napoli should absolutely take the opportunity while it's there.