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According Naples-based newspaper Il Mattino, and relayed to the internet by Tutto Mercato, Napoli have issued an ultimatum to Tottenham president Daniel Levy in the form of a "final" €10.5 million bid for midfielder Etienne Capoue. This comes in response for the club's request for €15 million for the player, who they bought for €11 million just over six months ago.
It's understandable that Tottenahm would want to try to make a profit on a recently-purchased player, but come on now. He's demonstrably out of favor with the new manager, and you're receiving an offer that all but covers your investment. Just counter with €11 million and we'll call it good.
There's always the annoying niggle that Daniel Levy is well-known for being difficult to deal with in transfer negotiations. In fact, he's considered even worse in that area than Lyon's president, and we all saw how well that worked out with Maxime Gonalons.
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Of course, when dealing with a difficult president, the only logical recourse is to express interest in another one of his players, right? According to Corriere dello Sport, that's exactly what they're doing. According to CdS, Napoli sporting director Ricardo Bigon has indicated to Tottenham that the club might be willing to take central defender Jan Vertonghen off their hands.
Vertonghen expressed dissatisfaction earlier this season over being shunted to left back for much of the last year and a half, and due to injury has not yet featured under new manager Tim Sherwood. It's doubtful that he's available, though, as he's Tottenham's best defender by a fair margin, and a seemingly never-ending string of injuries at the back have left the London club paper-thin in defense all season long.
Also, according to that report (among others), Napoli is willing to toss Goran Pandev in to any negotiations, which is hilarious on so many levels.
