Mercato Madness: Napoli Looking To Shore Up Attack, Looking At Perisic And Michu

Even the the World Cup being in full swing has slowed the transfer market down somewhat, clubs are still looking to organize their shopping lists and start laying the groundwork for potential deals. Napoli are no different in this regard, and based on recent reports it sounds as though they've shifted their focus in the transfer market to reinforcing their attack, a group that could certainly use some extra depth and quality next season.

The headliner of late is that Napoli is sniffing around Ivan Perisic, a Croatian winger plying his trade with Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga. Currently 25, Perisic has never quite lived up to once-lofty expectations, but just had a strong season for his club, netting ten times in the league and assisting four more while helping Wolfsburg to a fifth-place finish. He's also been one of Croatia's best in the World Cup so far, scoring once and setting up another in their demolition of Cameroon last week, and was one of their best performers in a losing effort against Brazil in the tournament opener.

Perisic works best from the left wing, where he can cut in and shoot with his stronger right foot, but he works well from the right side as well, a versatility that meshes well with how Rafa Benitez set up the side in his first season in charge. He's also reputedly still able to operate up top as a striker, but that's something that he hasn't done for more than a few minutes at a stretch in a long time.

Everton have also reportedly shown interest in a €10 million deal for the winger, an amount that doesn't quite feel like it will be enough for Wolfsburg to seriously consider selling the Croatian, especially with how well he's done in the World Cup. Juventus and Roma are also supposedly sniffing around him, so if Napoli really want to get Perisic into the side, they'd better move quickly and aggressively.

The other interesting name that's floated across of late is that of Swansea's Michu, once a media darling in England, but now a near-forgotten man after an injury-riddled season robbed him of any semblance of form. The Oviedo-born Spaniard can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a central striker, which makes him an intriguing option for a team like Napoli.

Given that they're looking for both a proper backup to Marek Hamsik and improving their striker depth and options past Gonzalo Higuain and Duvan Zapata, Michu might fit the bill perfectly, as he fills both needs. The 28-year old is creative, he can finish, he's dynamic; it's easy to see the attraction. If Rafa Benitez thinks that he can fix whatever went wrong with Michu last year and the price isn't crazy (Swansea reportedly turned down offers in the €20 million range a year ago), this could be a deal very worth making.