Lorenzo Insigne has cut in from the left flank and curled absolute stunners in the top corner season after season for SSC Napoli, but the rest of Europe has slept on its talents.
That is until he carried out his trademark move against Belgium in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, doubling Italy’s lead and sending them on a march towards immortal glory.
Match Winner / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Insigne was a participant in Azzurri’s European triumph and showed the world exactly what he can do in his day. It was without a doubt the best summer of his career, but incredibly poorly timed for his hometown club, Napoli.
Interest has now reached its peak in the 30-year-old’s availability and that curiosity has intensified with the knowledge that there is only one year left on his current business. Napoli do not want to lose their captain and hope that he will put paper on paper in a new contract, but more importantly they do not want to lose him for free.
In Partenopei has put a price tag of 30 million euros on Insigne’s head, hoping that it will deter buyers from bidding and give them more time to hash out a contract for their superstar. So far no offers have been made.
But where could Insigne end up this summer, should an interested party pull the trigger? 90min evaluates their possible future destinations and ranks them on how likely they are to achieve.
Barcelona has tough times / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
It feels a little angry including a club with minus numbers on their bank account in this list, but you can never rule out a madness from Barcelona. La Blaugrana are plowing ahead with their own transfer agreements, even though they can not register any of them due to La Liga’s salary cap.
But fair play for the Catalans, that does not stop them. So if they could do the unthinkable and take away 200 million euros from their annual salary cost, would they then look for a player like Insigne?
Maybe, and no matter how broken they are, Barça remains an attractive perspective for nostalgic football players. Still, I would not go near them in this state.
Probability: 1/10
Serie A Clubs Circle / Jonathan Moscrop / Getty Images
Of course, Insigne’s qualities have been most appreciated in Italy, and all top-class Serie A would love to have him in their books. People like Milan and AS Roma have been named as potentially interested, while Juventus are always in the mix.
But the winger knows that a move to another Italian side would damage his relationship with Napoli supporters – perhaps without repair. Neapolitans are a loyal people and they expect the same from their heroes, otherwise they will face the consequences.
Our guess is that Insigne would rather put pen to paper in a new contract or consider alternatives abroad before destroying his Napoli legacy with a move to one of their direct rivals.
Probability: 2/10
Nuno is the new man on Spurs / Henry Browne / Getty Images
In some strange universe, this transfer would make sense. That universe was the same as it is now but three years ago, when Tottenham Hotspur were a top club, reaching the Champions League final and challenging for Premier League titles.
These glorious days are a distant memory for the people of North London, and they must start from scratch this summer. The prospect of signing Insigne is exciting, and in this market he is affordable.
They should not be too displaced. in all cases. The Jules Kounde rejection debacle tells you everything you need to know about this current edition of Spurs. Do not try to run before you can walk, because people on the internet will laugh at you.
Probability: 3/10
Eats a huge whole in his salary budget / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Real Madrid, AKA, the savior of football (if you listen to Florentino Perez, anyway) have to move some players out before they consider bringing one in. Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard are two big problem children for the club, and their salaries alone account for 13% of Los Blancos’ total salary costs.
If they could cut off the duo, there would be room for maneuvers in the transfer window. No matter how much money they make in player sales, it will never be enough to land the long-term goal of Kylian Mbappe this year.
Given all this, Madrid would surely jump at the chance to get a player with the quality of Insigne for the price of only 30 million euros, which would solve so many problems in the last third. Lots of dead wood to shift first.
Probability: 6/10
A star may be on its way out / John Berry / Getty Images
Although Paris is a wonderful city for shopping, their football club has fallen in love with the bright lights of Milan and Italy. They have signed Achraf Hakimi from Inter, Gianluigi Donnarumma from Milan and are also watching his former teammate Theo Hernandez.
Paris Saint-Germain may be tempted to make a trip south to Naples to continue its shopping spree. They boast lots of attacking firepower, but with the prospect of losing Mbappe for absolutely nothing that threatens much, they may need to lay the groundwork for his replacement.
Insigne would tear his back in Ligue 1 and he would be guaranteed Champions League football every season. Win win?
Probability: 6.5 / 10
Time to bounce back / Sebastian Frej / MB Media / Getty Images
If Liverpool are really aiming for West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, who is likely to cost north of £ 30 million, is it so mental to suggest that they could potentially lose Insigne instead?
The Italian may be older, but he is also cheaper, more experienced at the top level and a proven winner. He has played as part of a front three for several years in Napoli as well, which means that he would not be a stranger to Jurgen Klopp’s tactics.
Admittedly, Liverpool’s finances seem to be a cause for concern right now with their lack of transfer activity, but they have to spend something, right? A valuable addition to the squad.
Probability: 7/10
Expenditure does not end / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Chelsea really ruins the fun for everyone, right? Roman Abramovich has found his checkbook again and the incessant spending does not seem to be close to stopping.
Their € 100 million bid for Federico Chiesa says they are looking for a fringe market, and with Juventus refusing to give up, they may be able to turn to his compatriots as an alternative.
Do they need him? Probably not. Will it stop them from signing him? Absolutely not.
Probability: 8/10
