Zapata, Strinic, and Tonelli sold to Sampdoria?

Despite the attempted efforts of Sassuolo to hijack part of the transfer, it looks like Sampdoria have beaten out their rivals, landing Duvan Zapata and Ivan Strinic in a combined €22 million deal, as well as landing Lorenzo Tonelli on loan for the season.

Napoli wanted to clear the three players off their books in order to raise funds and free up roster space, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. The sale of Zapata and Strinic is bringing in more than €20 million, plus several million more in bonuses over the next few years. Tonelli is only joining on loan, but that deal will likely have a purchase option that would let him stay at Sampdoria long-term.

Sassuolo’s exit from the deal reportedly came because they didn’t want to match what Sampdoria were offering, and backed off their willingness to include a purchase option for Domenico Berardi along with it. This turn leaves Sassuolo in a lurch, but that’s hardly Napoli’s problem.

Sampdoria, meanwhile, replace the departed Patrick Schick and reinforce a beleaguered defense that needed an injection of talent. They spent more than Massimo Ferrero typically likes to in order to get the job done, but sometimes you have to pay for talent, and Ferrero did exactly that to get a good striker in Zapata and some much needed defensive depth.

Now for Napoli it’s time to see what comes next with this money and what they do with it. They certainly have some things that they need to do before the transfer window slams shut on Thursday, and they’re well-armed to get the job done now after a productive and profitable seven days.