Napoli transfer plans: Allegri seeks January reinforcements amid poor season

Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri is waiting for January signings after a summer window that brought in Badiashile and Favasuli but left him without the striker he had requested, with the missed move for Gabriel Jesus still a source of regret, according to Corriere dello Sport. The report says it is not only the coach who needs fresh forces, arguing the squad requires new psychological and physical energy.

The club's summer line was to sell and trim the squad, satisfying needs to cut costs, reduce overcrowding and meet certain UEFA parameters while accepting the risks and confirming faith in the team. Corriere dello Sport describes the reading of a finished cycle and a worn-out group as having proved far-sighted: the first part of the season brought tensions, injuries, controversy and above all defeats and disappointing results, with the low point coming at Porto. The numbers cited are tenth place and 15 points in the league, 14 points behind leaders Lazio and nine behind fourth-placed Milan, with Frosinone, Bologna and Cagliari also ahead of Napoli. In the Champions League the report says Napoli have three points from four games and sit 27th, outside the play-off zone, scoring little, conceding too much and suffering repeated identity crises.

Ahead of the second international break and a decisive run of fixtures, the report says De Laurentiis has confidence in Allegri and reaffirmed it throughout the weekend, starting from Friday's meeting with sporting director Manna at the Castel Volturno training centre. At that same meeting, however, the need for reinforcements was restated after reviewing the problems the coach had flagged since the summer. A striker, a wide player and a midfielder are described as priorities. Hojlund has scored three goals all season, Lucca is still on zero and in a difficult spell worsened by whistles from impatient fans, while Lang on Sunday faced a conspicuous personal protest including offensive chants and calls for him to leave. The report considers it difficult for the two to continue beyond January, and says the positions of Anguissa, who will become a free agent in January, and Lobotka, ready to leave given the right offer, are also in the balance.

On the market, Corriere dello Sport says Napoli are very keen on Gustavo Varela of Monza, 21, a new Portugal international and Serie A top scorer with nine goals, 11 in total. Among wide players, Chelsea's 22-year-old Englishman Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is under observation, also with squad-list and under-age parameters in mind. In midfield the club like Sassuolo's French youngster Darryl Bakola, 19 on 30 November, but top of the list is Parisian Mamadou Coulibaly of Monaco, 22, with an almost prohibitive valuation of 40 million. The report expects another difficult window, with Napoli having to respect certain limits and possibly acting via loans, and stresses that beyond squad-list needs Allegri requires ready-made players to turn the season around.