Sensational Exchange deal between Juventus & Napoli gaining steam

Transfer News

December 26, 2024 - 9:00 am

While it appeared to be an implausible scenario at first, Juventus and Napoli could end up swapping the services of Nicolo Fagioli and Giacomo Raspadori.

According to several outlets in the Italian media, including La Gazzetta dello Sport (via IlBianconero), the stars could be lining up for what would be a ground-breaking operation. As the source explains, the players involved are Italian internationals who find themselves in somewhat similar positions, with the lack of playing time being a common theme.

Fagioli started his campaign on a decent note and was making recurring starting appearances. However, Thiago Motta later decided he was better off with the likes of Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram, while Teun Koopmeiners could also be deployed in the double pivot which would further reduce the young Italian’s chances, not to mention Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz who appear to be ahead of him in the pecking order as well.

On the other hand, Fagioli has an ally at Napoli in the shape of the club’s transfer director Giovanni Manna who has a long-standing bond with the midfielder dating back to their time together at Juventus Next Gen. The 35-year-old also supported the player during his darkest period, renewing his contract while he was serving an eight-month ban.

The source also believes Fagioli could offer some dynamism to Antonio Conte’s midfield department, even though he’d face competition from the likes of Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay.

For his part, Raspadori hasn’t been able to break into Conte’s plans. Nevertheless, he might just be the perfect solution for Motta’s attacking dilemma. The Euro 2020 winner can play as a centre-forward, thus offering cover for Dusan Vlahovic who has been playing non-stop this season, but can also feature as a second striker, or even on the wings.

With both players valued between 20 and 25 million euros, this could be a straight swap, while Danilo’s move remains a possibility, although it would be a separate operation.