Napoli reopen negotiations with Udinese for Allan

One of the first major targets Napoli were linked to after the season ended was Udinese midfielder Allan. The link made a lot of sense -- Napoli have wanted Allan for awhile, and the Brazilian fits the box-to-box midfielder mold that the club needs now that Maurizio Sarri is in charge.

Then the links went away for awhile, presumably because Napoli were pursuing Giannelli Imbula of Olympique Marseille. That was understandable too -- Imbula's the same kind of player, is almost as good as Allan now, and a couple of years younger. Signing Imbula also would have had the added benefit of keeping the Frenchman away from Inter, which is always fun.

Imbula chose to sign with Porto to get Champions League football though, so now Napoli have turned back to Allan, launching a renewed effort to sign him from Udinese overnight.

It's a good fit between Napoli and Allan, with Napoli able to raise the talented midfielder's profile and Allan helping fill a big hole the squad currently has. The €15 million price tag the zebrette are looking for is maybe a little steep, but if it can be negotiated down two or three million euros, then Napoli should jump all over it.

So far Napoli aren't putting together a super-splashy transfer window, but they are building a solid one. That's exactly what they need to be doing in a summer of transition like this, and so far it's hard to take issue with the players they've gotten or been targeting. Allan would be an excellent continuation of the work they've done so far, just as long as they can actually sign him of course.

Now, if only there was word of a solid center back coming to Naples...