According to recent reports, Napoli are interested in Crystal Palace striker Alexander Sørloth – who is currently on loan at Turkish side Trabzonspor.
Since joining Trabzonspor at the beginning of this season on a two-year loan deal, the Norwegian international has been in rather spectacular form, scoring 21 goals and providing eight assists over his 31 appearances in the Turkish top flight, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.54/10 – ranking him as the league’s second-best performer.
Reports by Area Napoli claim that the Süper Lig side will make the striker’s loan deal a permanent one should Sørloth feature in 50% of the club’s league and cup fixtures next season, for a fee of around €6 million (£5.4 million) – due to an option-to-buy clause in his loan deal.
Area Napoli then goes on to state that, should Trabzonspor wish, they would then be free to sell the player in the summer of 2021, with the expected asking price to be around €20 million (£18 million).
The reports also mention that Napoli have had ‘contacts with the entourage’ of the striker, although, this is said to purely be an information-gathering exercise at present, as it is unknown whether the club would like to sign the striker immediately – which would be complicated – or next summer.
TIF Thoughts…
From a Crystal Palace perspective, the fact that Sørloth has performed so well this season is likely to be slightly frustrating, as with Trabzonspor reportedly having the option to buy the £11.7 million-rated forward for as little as €6 million (£5.4 million) should they indeed go on to make his deal a permanent one, they then have the potential to make quite a substantial profit on the player.
Will Crystal Palace live to regret Sorloth's option to buy clause?
Yes
No
