Leonardo Pavoletti piquing Napoli’s interest in winter transfer

It’s no secret that Napoli are working to bring in a striker this winter, thanks to Arkadiusz Milik’s knee injury and Manolo Gabbiadini being — well, you know how the rest of that sentence goes. Various names have been discussed over the last week, but one is starting to emerge as a clear priority for Napoli right now: Genoa forward Leonardo Pavoletti.

A tall and strong center forward, Pavoletti would be a solid if somewhat unexciting pickup for Napoli. While he doesn’t bring quite the same style of play as Milik, Pavoletti’s own style isn’t that far off the Polish striker and he brings an extra dimension of physicality that Napoli currently lack up top. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have him as an option anyways just to give Napoli a little more diversity in their tactical options.

The holdup, however, could be the price. It’s believed that Genoa want at least €20 million for the 27 year old Italian striker, a hefty fee for a player who only has one good season in Serie A behind him and has been fairly inconsistent this season. While he did do well a year ago in scoring 14 goals for the grifone, but so far this season a couple minor injuries and Genoa’s own inconsistency has left him with just three goals in eight matches.

It would be a hefty and risky investment under the circumstances, but it’s one that would be understandable for Napoli to take. Still, if they can find a way to get him for a little less than the rumored fee, that would be good — but it’s also worth noting that talks are apparently far enough along that Genoa are exploring their own transfer options for replacing him. We might just be seeing Pavoletti in a blue shirt this January.