Exclusive: Napoli target German star as replacement for ex-Liverpool player
The German is still a target for the Serie A as reported by Calciomercato.com. Napoli have emerged as a new club interested in signing the stopper. Their president Aurelio De Laurentiis has identified Leno and Sporting’s Rui Patricio as the two goalkeeping targets.
Napoli will lose former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. The Spaniard will leave the Stadio San Paolo on a free transfer as he will join AC Milan as a free agent. Napoli are ready to meet Leverkusen’s asking price, which will be Leno’s termination clause and it has been discussed for a while.
But, why did the deal did not go through yet? Leno’s image rights has been the stumbling block so far for the deal to take shape. Napoli wants to keep it to themselves, which will reduce his earnings as he has several sponsors. This can block Leno’s move to Italy for a second year in a row if the two parties fail to agree terms on image rights.