Napoli draw up Allegri wish list for big January spending

Max Allegri has reportedly requested four January reinforcements to break out of Napoli’s crisis, including a right-back, a physical midfielder, and two strikers, as Noa Lang and Lorenzo Lucca are expected to leave.

The Partenopei are struggling badly in both Serie A and the Champions League, but while many are calling for the dismissal of Allegri, it seems President Aurelio De Laurentiis is prepared to give his coach a boost instead.

La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that Allegri has asked for four specific roles to bolster the squad, with some intriguing names mentioned.

Especially after Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s injury, they are lacking a genuine right-back, as Costantino Favasuli is more of a wing-back figure than working hard in defence.

The name put forward by the report is Vinicius Tobias, currently at Shakhtar Donetsk and who played in the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Inter last month.

In midfield, an alternative to the physicality of Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa is required, although AS Monaco’s Mamadou Coulibaly is going to be too expensive at circa €40m, so Darryl Bakola at Sassuolo is a cheaper option.

Finally, it is widely reported that both Lang and Lucca will be leaving again, as neither managed to win back the support of the fans after ill-fated loan experiences last season.

This means two forwards are required, most notably someone who can be a centre-forward in the vein of Rasmus Hojlund.

The top target is Monza hitman Gustavo Varela, who has just earned his first senior Portugal call after nine goals in his first 10 Serie A appearances, plus two in a single Coppa Italia match.