Napoli consider bid for relegated Hellas Verona duo

With the end of the season approaching and teams around Europe starting to become officially relegated, a lot of transfer rumors are going to start swirling around those teams' players. After all, much of their talent won't want to drop out of the top divisions of their countries, and the dropping clubs will need funds to help rebuild their teams for a hopeful promotion the next season. Such is the case with Hellas Verona -- the wolves are already circling and looking to pick their beleaguered roster apart, and Napoli might already be working on a deal.

Verona were relegated on Monday despite their win over AC Milan, thanks to Carpi also winning and putting safety out of reach for the gialloblu. Now with a bleaker future to plan, two particular Verona players have popped up on the radar that interest Napoli -- midfielder Artur Ionita and young goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini. The downtrodden club have reportedly asked for some €6 million for the pair, a sum that has Napoli tempted, and one that they should consider pulling the trigger on.

Ionita is at the end of his second season in Verona, having joined them in the summer of 2014 after five years in Switzerland. During his time with the gialloblu he's often been their only reliable playmaker in midfield, though several fairly lengthy injury spells have limited his impact somewhat. Still, Ionita has scored four goals this season -- no mean feat from midfield with how poor their attack is -- and the 25 year old Moldovan international would provide an adequate and interesting backup option for Marek Hamsik.

Gollini is just 21 years old and kept only two clean sheets in his 23 league matches in goal for Verona this season, but he impressed despite the lack of anything resembling a quality defense in front of him. Many will point at the fact that Gollini has surrendered 39 goals this season as reason to keep him out of the Napoli squad, but if you actually sit and watch his play in goal, you'll realize that he's the only reason why Verona didn't give up 70 or more goals in those matches. Gollini is still quite raw, but the young Italian -- who came up through the Fiorentina and Manchester United youth systems before joining Verona last season -- has a whole lot of talent, and could prove an excellent asset for Napoli down the line.

Neither player would be likely to be a game-breaking star for Napoli next season, or even a lock to be such a talent at all. But for the price that Hellas Verona want to part with both of them in one deal, it's a bargain well worth taking -- they would give Napoli good depth and options at two positions where they want and need such injections, and do it without breaking the bank. They wouldn't be the kind of "sexy," flashy signings that fans always clamor for, but as far as more nuts-and-bolts transfers go, they'd be pretty damn good players to bring in.