Napoli and AC Milan look set to fight to sign Erik Lamela this summer, with the winger ready to cut his salary by half to secure a move away from Tottenham.
Lamela has been hit and missed since joining Spurs from Roma in 2013. He played his best football during the 2015/16 season, but a consequence of serious injuries on both sides has limited his commitment.
It is a theme that has continued during Jose Mourinho’s time. A calf injury kept him out of a spell at the end of last year, and Mourinho has since been reluctant to give him a run in the side.
A goal that is worth looking over and over again …?
Season goal for Lamela? Pic.twitter.com/qADG8po25Y
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) 14 March 2021
His impact this season has been quite minimal – brain-melting Rabona against Arsenal last month aside. He has started just five Premier League matches and reports that he can leave in the summer – which normally appears around this time of year – has arrived in Italy.
This time the word is that Napoli and Milan have both spoken to the 29-year-old, but it is Gennaro Gattuso’s team that has emerged as favorites after “very intense” talks about a move.
This comes from Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, which tends to be reliable in breaking down reports from the continent.
They say that Lamela is actively pushing for a step to be taken and is even prepared to take a significant pay cut if it means a fresh start in Italy, where he made his name in Europe after two strong seasons with Roma.
Lamela currently brings home around £ 80,000 a week at Spurs, but it is claimed that he would settle for an annual salary of ‘2-2.5 million euros a year – which works somewhere between £ 40,000 and £ 50,000 a week .
Napoli are prepared to make a full commitment by signing him on a three- or four-year contract, which is probably why he is happy to accept a lower salary.
Lamela’s contract with Spurs expires at the end of next season, so it is likely that they will listen to some kind of reasonable offer – especially if the player wants to leave.
