As the deadline day fever reaches its peak, Napoli look to seal a double swoop for defenders Nikola Maksimovic and Rodrigo Caio. The potential arrival of Caio, who has been recently linked to AC Milan, could once again open the door for Chelsea to acquire their long sought after target Kalidou Koulibaly.
Hours after reports surfaced that Koulibaly has given up his long awaited Chelsea dream comes the news of Napoli’s intention to purchase Rodrigo Caio who has been linked to a move to Italy throughout the summer. Lazio, Sevilla, Milan have tried to negotiate with the player, and now Napoli seems like the latest candidate to show interest in the Olympic Gold medalist from Sao Paulo.
Agent Confirms Negotiations
Having recently picked up an EU passport, more specifically an Italian passport, Caio was expected to join AC Milan either now or in January based on the Rossoneri’s powers of convincing and persuasion. However, Cristian Sfara, an intermediary working in the dea,l has given CalcioNapoli24 a copy of a letter from Sao Paulo “authorizing him to hand and act for our contracted professional football player, Rodrigo Caio Coquette Russo, to find a possible contract concerning a transfer for SCC Neapel”. Sao Paulo reportedly wants €10m for the player who had a successful outing in Rio this summer (via Football-Italia).
Too Many Defenders?
Napoli have already acquired Lorenzo Tonelli from Empoli earlier this June, and is on the verge of completing a deal for Nikola Maksimovic from Torino. With Caio, Napoli will have 6 defenders in their squad along with Chiriches, Koulibaly, Albiol, Maksimovic and Tonelli.
The negotiations with Sao Paulo for Caio do not necessarily mean that Napoli are open to selling Koulibaly to Chelsea. Caio could perhaps be a replacement for Romanian Vlad Chirices who could be on his way out of the club, probably to Sampdoria, if reports are to be believed. Moreover, Koulibaly will leave in January for the African Cup of Nations to represent Senegal. The negotiations for Caio can be an indication of the club’s plan for the season ahead as well.