Il Mattino has revealed that Napoli are ready to consider loaning Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier in the January transfer window.
In the last few months, many Italian media have reported AS Roma’s interest in Dier (TMW), while some other publications have also backed Sporting Lisbon to explore the possibility of bringing the central midfielder back to Portugal (talkSPORT).
Napoli’s interest in the Spurs midfielder first surfaced last week when Il Mattino (via The Sun) revealed that the 29-year-old is one of four central defenders from the Premier League being considered by the reigning Serie A champions as they look to strengthen their back line for the second half of the campaign.
It has been reported that Napoli, who took Tanguy Ndomble from Spurs last season, could face Jose Mourinho’s Roma for Dier’s signature.
The same media outlet has now shed further light on Napoli’s interest in Dier, stating that the England international is “one of the candidates” that the Italian side is eyeing when considering possible loan options.
The report points out that Dier could make a temporary move to Diego Armando Maradona’s stadium next month as he is “completely on the fringes” at Spurs.
Dier finds himself much lower down the pecking order of Ange Postecoglou, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven the first choice, and Ben Davies and Emerson Royal even drafted in as cover ahead of a player who has made 49 appearances for the Three Lions.
Given that Dier has only six months left on his Tottenham contract, I fail to see why Spurs would prefer to loan the 29-year-old rather than pay him.
The decision on his next destination will be made by Dier himself, as the central defender is currently in a strong position and could receive a much more lucrative package next summer as a free agent.