Leicester City are among the clubs interested in the services of Benevento’s veteran forward Gianluca Lapadula this summer.
According to the print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, as relayed by Calciomercato, Gianluca Lapadula is available on the market as Benevento look to cash in on their striker who is coming on the back of a positive Copa America campaign with Peru. He is already attracting interest from Premier League club Leicester City, although they are set to face stiff competition from Club America in Mexico.
Formerly of Juventus youth, Lapadula has had an industrious career in Serie A, with spells at various different clubs including AC Milan, Parma, Genoa and Pescara, among others. In fact, throughout his professional career, the attacker has played for 14 different senior clubs, all of which stem from Italy except a brief spell in Slovenia with ND Gorica.
Overall, the 31-year-old has mustered 125 appearances in Serie A. However, he is yet to play 50 competitive matches for any of the clubs he has represented so far. He may not have a particularly eye-catching goalscoring record either, but the veteran did rather well in Copa America.
Indeed, Lapadula, who had made his debut for Peru in November of last year, was the attacker-in-chief for his nation that reached the semi-final of the coveted competition. His four goals and one assist in seven matches made him one of the best performers in the tournament, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Rodrigo De Paul.
The Benevento forward’s performances have not gone unnoticed either, with Leicester City identifying him as an ideal backup for star striker Jamie Vardy. Clearly, the Foxes have learned a lesson, having struggled without the Englishman for the chunk of last season. As a result, they are now keen on offering Brendon Rodgers a proper alternative in the number nine role.
One may argue that Leicester City have already brought in Patson Daka from RB Salzburg. But the 22-year-old offers a different skillset to Vardy and in extension, Lapadula. He also lacks experience at the highest level of football, so the potential acquisition of the Benevento forward should serve as an insurance policy for Rodgers next season.
Lapadula is not Leicester’s only target, though, with the club being involved in the pursuit of Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio as well, as Brendan Rodgers looks to beef up his attacking options and breach the top-four of the Premier League next season.
