Napoli playmaker Lorenzo Insigne is being considered by Liverpool as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho amid heavy speculation surrounding the Brazilian’s future.
Philippe Coutinho has arguably been the best player in the Premier League this term, which has invariably attracted speculation regarding his future at Liverpool, with various media outlets linking the diminutive Brazilian with Spanish giants Barcelona.
The 24-year-old playmaker has been of interest to the Catalan superclub over the years, but the rumours have never been stronger, particularly given his relationship with Barcelona’s Brazilian superstar Neymar.
While Liverpool have planned to open talks with Coutinho over a new contract, they know a call from Barcelona could be too good to ignore for any player, as witnessed with Luis Suarez in the summer of 2014. As such, the Reds have reportedly already set the wheels in motion to identify potential candidates who could replace Coutinho if he does move on.
One such candidate is Napoli’s 25-year-old star Lorenzo Insigne, according to Italian outlet Mediaset Premium (h/t Bleacher Report). Mediaset suggest that Jurgen Klopp is willing to shell out as much as €30 million to acquire the player on a €6.5 million per year contract, which is around thrice the current earnings of Insigne at Napoli.
Lorenzo Insigne is currently involved in a contract dispute with Napoli, with the player demanding his wages to be doubled to £100,000 per week. However, Napoli’s owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is refusing to meet the demand, which has led to rumours about the attacker’s possible exit. On the other hand, reports in England and Italy have suggested Napoli are looking at Manchester United’s out-of-favour forward Memphis Depay as a replacement for Insigne.
The Daily Star had claimed a few weeks ago that Insigne’s agent is in contact with Liverpool over a move for his client in January, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said to be very keen on the player.
Insigne technical abilities, skill-set and versatility are sure to be a perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp, which suggests there could be elements of truth to this story. With Liverpool set to miss Sadio Mane around mid-January for one month due to the African Cup of Nations and with Danny Ings sidelined for the season, a move for Insigne in the upcoming winter window could turn out to be a masterstroke.
