Davide Astori transfer an announcement away from completion

He may not be the defender people want, but he's the defender they're going to get: Davide Astori is a medical and official announcement away from signing with Napoli after the player and club agreed to terms on a contract.

This was the last major hurdle after Napoli and Cagliari agreed to terms on a transfer earlier in the week, which is currently being reported as for €5 million with another €1 million in potential bonuses. Astori's contract, as previously reported, will be for four years and a little under €1 million per season plus unspecified bonuses once he signs it.

When Astori officially undergoes his medical and contract signing is unknown, but it's believed that he's cut short a vacation and is in Naples now. That means that we could see an official announcement as soon as Saturday, especially Napoli are never shy about making such announcements on the weekend.

It's still an odd signing, even if it is a relatively inexpensive one. At 28, Astori is unlikely to make any significant improvements as a player, and he doesn't represent an upgrade over either current Napoli starter in the middle, Raul Albiol or Kalidou Koulibaly. He's not bad depth, but Napoli need to be upgrading their depth by upgrading their starting talent, not just getting better backups.