The summer carousel is already spinning in Serie A, and the latest twist involves a young Argentine caught between two ambitious clubs. Como's pursuit...
The summer carousel is already spinning in Serie A, and the latest twist involves a young Argentine caught between two ambitious clubs. Como's pursuit of a creative spark has hit a familiar snag, with Napoli refusing to budge on their asking price for their own prodigious talent, Alessandro Vergara.Let's be clear about what started this. Real Madrid exercised their buy back clause on Nico Paz, a decision that has left Como scrambling to fill a rather large technical hole in their midfield. Paz offered that rare blend of vision and composure in tight spaces, the sort of player who can unlock a low block with a single pass. Losing him is a genuine setback for Cesc Fàbregas' project, especially when you consider how reliant they were on his transitional play last term.So the Como hierarchy have turned their attention south, towards the Stadio Maradona. Vergara is a different beast to Paz, mind. He is more of a direct runner, with a habit of driving at defenders and forcing errors. He is raw, but he is electric. Napoli, knowing full well the premium on such talent in the current market, are not about to do any favours. They see a player who could be the long term heir to something special in their own engine room. Selling him cheaply would be, frankly, a dereliction of duty.The real question is whether Como can stomach the fee. They have cash from the Paz sale burning a hole in their pocket, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is not a man known for negotiating with a smile. He will want every last euro. For Como, the risk is walking away and leaving themselves short of that crucial creative edge. For Napoli, the risk is keeping a player who might not get the minutes he craves if their own recruitment drive lands a bigger name. It is a classic stalemate.Expect this one to drag on. These are two clubs with very different ideas on value, and a player who is probably worth more to his current club than any potential suitor wants to admit. The only certainty is that both sides will be feeling the heat as the window creaks towards its conclusion.
