Napoli miss out on Ciro Immobile with Sevilla transfer

So much for that dream: Sevilla have reportedly agreed to a transfer with Borussia Dortmund to acquire Ciro Immobile.

Napoli had been closely linked to the striker all summer, and both he and his agent spoke of his desire to play for his hometown club. But when Napoli made an effort to sign the Italian international, Dortmund rebuffed their efforts and he was declared unavailable.

Apparently, though, that stance has changed in the last two weeks, and Sevilla targeted Immobile as a replacement for the recently-departed Carlos Bacca, who signed for AC Milan for a staggering €30 million recently. They came forward with a €12 million bid, which Dortmund have reportedly accepted and are moving ahead with the transfer.

It's a frustrating miss for Napoli -- getting another Italian international and a local star to boot would have been a nice capture for the club. But Sevilla would be a better situation for him right now, especially with Gonzalo Higuain likely to stick around. He needs starter's minutes to turn things around from last season and keep developing as a player, and that's not something Napoli could guarantee him for this coming campaign.

It's disappointing that Immobile won't be wearing the Napoli crest yet, but this is still a positive development for the striker's career. It also doesn't rule out him playing for the partenopei in the future, so hopefully it's just a matter of time before he's donning our beloved blue shirt.