Top five players Napoli should target in summer 2023

Gli Azzurri will need significant reinforcements to defend the Serie A title

Napoli ended a three-decade-long Serie A drought by winning the 2022-23 season. At the helm of it was Luciano Spalletti. The 65-year-old even had the audacity to walk away from Gli Azzurri's managerial job after the massive success.

Now, success in football always depends on the majority of players outperforming on the pitch. Players such as Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kim Min-jae, and several others displayed footballing brilliance in the Champions League competition and Serie A. Although AC Milan ended their UCL hopes in the quarterfinal stages. They were able to win the title with a 16-point lead.

Clubs in Europe are now heavily targeting these gems. Napoli will be going into the summer to either replace or add squad depth for the 2023–24 season, in which they will go in as Serie A defending champions. Let's have a look at five players that Napoli should sign in the summer of 2023:

5. Guglielmo Vicario - Goalkeeper (Empoli)

Premier League side Tottenham are leading the race to sign Napoli shot-stopper Alex Meret. And even Everton are holding talks to acquire the services of the 26-year-old. If Napoli fails to keep hold of their goalkeeper, they will have to look for a replacement. The Naples-based club has already identified a potential replacement in Vicario.

The 26-year-old Empoli keeper had a quality season. Playing 31 games in Serie A and managing to keep seven clean sheets. He could be a great signing if Alex Meret moves on.

4. Antonio Sanabria - Forward (Torino)

The Paraguay forward, aged 27, can be brought in to replace the heavily courted Victor Osimhen if Napoli are unable to keep him. For a Torino outfit that finished tenth in the Serie A table for the 2022–23 season, Sanabria was seen pushing weights beyond his shoulders. Sanabria tied with stars such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paulo Dybala, and Ciro Immobile in the Italian league with 12 goals. Very well displayed, he belongs in the top company of players.

Manchester United wants Serie A 2022–23 top scorer Osimhen, who is very highly rated at Old Trafford. Sanabria could easily be a suitable replacement, having already played in the Italian League with Torino.

3. Giorgio Scalvini - Defender (Atalanta)

Bayern Munich are the frontrunner for landing Kim Min-jae, who had an incredible first season at Napoli. Man United are reportedly out of the race.

Born in December 2003, Giorgio Scalvini could serve as a replacement for the South Korean centre-back. The Atalanta centre-back made 32 appearances in Serie A while also scoring twice. At just 19, Scalvini was part of the starting eleven 76% of the time for La Dea. He is also a youth product of the Atlanta Academy team and was promoted to the first team in July 2021.

2. Riccardo Orsolini - Right winger (Bologna)

The Italian outfit that won the Serie A 2022–23 title is ready to offload their Mexican right winger, Hirving Lozano. One of the key reasons Napoli is ready to let go of Lozano is because of his contract situation. He only has a year left to run down his contract at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. And with Saudi Arabian clubs lurking for his signature and Rudi Garcia not too keen on keeping the winger, They might want to cash in on him now.

The 26-year-old Bologna winger also has a year's contract with his team. And it could be a feasible replacement for the Naples-based side in the same position. However, they are set to face competition from Fiorentina and Fenerbahce.

1. Jonathan David - Forward (LOSC Lille)

With Victor Oshimhem being targeted by top clubs across Europe, the Serie A champions will be looking to ease the loss. While they will try to keep their leading marksman, they very well know the temptations and financial might other clubs have to offer.

We have already discussed Sanabria, who could be suitable to replace him. But Osimhem was quite young. A more like-to-like replacement and a player who also scored more than 20 goals is Jonathan David. At just 23, he managed to score 24 goals while also handing in 4 assists to his teammates in Ligue 1. The LOSC Lille star is a favourite candidate for Rudi Garcia to replace outgoing Osimhem at Napoli.