Napoli miss out on Gabriel Paletta, defender set for AC Milan signing

When it looked like Gabriel Paletta would be one of the players to be exiled from in-crisis Parma, it was believed that Napoli would be one of the clubs pursuing the central defender. After all, Napoli need a new third central defender who's not a liability, and Paletta needs a club that will actually pay him his wages.

Unfortunately, Napoli couldn't pull the trigger in time, and Paletta took a medical with AC Milan this morning with a transfer to the San Siro looking all but finalized. Milan have been busy adding to their squad in recent days, adding Paletta to a January haul that includes another defender Salvatore Bocchetti and may add Ezequiel Munoz before the transfer window shuts today, as well as several attacking reinforcements.

Napoli are still believed to be after another central defender, with Norbert Gyomber still believed to be their key target in the middle after rumors about a move for Mexico international. Paletta would have been a very solid addition to Napoli's center back rotation, though if Rafa Benitez nixed the idea of a move based solely on the defender's terrible hair, that would be perfectly understandable.