AS Torino of Italy defender, Ola Aina has received a massive tip to join Super Eagles’ colleague, Victor Osimhen at their Italian Serie A rivals, SSC Napoli, who have reportedly turned their summer transfer searchlight on the former Chelsea and Hull City of England right-back, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although Aina had been touted earlier with a likely return to England, where he is said to have attracted attention from Newcastle United and West Ham United, after reports emerged that he was homesick in Turin, Italian transfer market expert, Emanuele Cammaroto has disclosed that there is a strong possibility that the dark-skinned lad could be on the way to Napoli instead.
It means Napoli could become the next most likely team to lure Aina, whose future at Torino has been the subject of wild speculation in recent months, with several reports already linking him with a return to the English Premier League while Paris Saint-Germain of France and Celtic of Scotland have also both been credited with interest in the versatile defender-cum-wing-back.
The link with PSG got even tighter after feelers emerged that Aina is holidaying in the south-east of France, before returning to Turin in Italy for the start of pre-season training with Torino, but Cammaroto has now disclosed that Napoli have opened a line of communication with the star’s Italian side about the possibility of them both agreeing to a summer transfer a deal that could see Elseid Hysaj move in the opposite direction.
Cammaroto stated in his latest column for Napoli Magazine: “Napoli deals with Torino but not the Meret and Sirigu exchange, on which there is no discussion, instead there is talk of a possible exchange between Hysaj that interests the grenades, while Napoli evaluates Ola Aina, defensive wild card that Giuntoli and Gattuso like.”
A report by goal.com added: “It wasn’t the campaign Ola Aina envisaged either, following an encouraging maiden season at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in which he played a significant role in taking the Bull’s to seventh.
“Their high finish, coupled with their first European campaign since 14/15, heralded a new dawn for the team, especially as they’d finished in seventh after seemingly sneaking into ninth for successive seasons previously.
“Indeed, Walter Mazzarri’s team’s tally of 63 points was just six behind fourth-placed Inter Milan, who qualified for the Champions League. Aina was understandably hit and miss in his opening campaign but there was a feeling he had done relatively well, was more hit than miss, and held his own in his first campaign outside England.
“The marked progress in the ex-Chelsea full-back had seen him go from the Stamford Bridge bench to thriving in the Championship at Hull City where he was one of the Tigers’ best players before moving to Italy.”
