Napoli have halted their pursuit of Tottenham defender Kieran Trippier, according to the Sun.
The Sun report that the Italian club have switched targets when it comes to finding a new right-back as they now want someone younger than Trippier who will have decent resale value.
The national newspaper report that Trippier’s form has been mixed so far in his 2018/19 campaign but that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is still likely to ask for £40million for the player’s services if a side tries to sign him.
Good move for Tottenham?
No.
Trippier hasn’t had a good 2018/19 campaign to say the least and has been a liability in several of his 37 outings; even though he has remained a regular fixture of the first-team.
While the 28-year-old right-back can be useful going forward, he has five assists this season, due to his crossing ability, he has a tendency to be caught out of position and exposed defensively.
By all accounts Napoli seemed like they were going to take Trippier of Spurs’ hands and seemed keen enough to meet Levy’s £40million asking price, which was first reported by the Daily Express.
This is especially the case when you consider that Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti told Sky Sports that the Spurs defender was a player they were “evaluating” ahead of the summer window.
This Is Futbol rating: 4/10
Likely to happen?
It seems likely that Trippier isn’t heading to Napoli based on this report, but that doesn’t mean he is staying put at Tottenham.
Mauricio Pochettino will no doubt want to improve his squad in the summer transfer window and there are clearly options available on the market who would be an upgrade on Trippier.
The only reason the Spurs defender won’t leave this summer is if he wows in the Champions League final or if no one meets Levy’s valuation of the player as it is rather high to say the least.
This Is Futbol rating: 0/10