Newcastle United are being strongly linked with making a move for Napoli captain, Lorenzo Insigne.
The 30-year-old's contract is set to expire in June 2022, and SportWitness reports that negotiations over a new deal at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona have stalled.
Insigne's agent publicly revealed that Napoli's offer to Insigne is currently half of what the Italian earns, which is unlikely to be accepted.
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This has opened the door for Newcastle United, and Italian media outlet, Mondo Napoli has said that the Magpies are "ready to shower him with gold" in a bid to bring the midfielder to St James' Park as a free agent.
But despite Newcastle's interest, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis may come back with an improved offer for Insigne and convince him to sign on the dotted line once again.
His agent Vincenzo Pisacane recently spoke to Il Roma to discuss the situation in more detail, with the quotes published by Football Italia.
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"I'm hearing too many journalists saying Lorenzo rejected generous offers from Napoli and that De Laurentiis offered him the maximum he could," Pisacane said.
"My relationship with De Laurentiis is great, but I must clarify that the contract offer comes with a 50% pay cut. I am an agent and I must defend the captain at any time.
"Usually, you offer more money when you want to extend a contract. Just see the treatment for players who extended before Lorenzo.
"Needless to say, Lorenzo was surprised [by Napoli offer]. We are always in contact with De Laurentiis. There is mutual respect with Aurelio, but he knows that the proposal must be increased and not cut."
Insigne has scored 114 goals in 411 appearances for Gli Azzurri at the time of writing, after making his way through the ranks at the club.
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His trophy cabinet includes 2 Italian Cups and 1 Italian Supercup, and added a European Championships title with Italy to his haul in the summer.
The Napoli skipper has continued to feature regularly this season, scoring 5 goals in 14 appearances across all competitions.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Serie A, Premier League, Napoli, Newcastle United