Arsenal target and Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne is to have talks with the club over his future, reports the Metro.
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The 24-year-old only made 26 appearances for the team last season, ten of which came from the bench after Napoli signed Gonzalo Higuain, with an injury affecting his progress. This comes after a campaign in which he played 36 times in Serie A alone, and as a result, the player is feeling neglected at the club where he came through the youth academy.
The forward’s agent, Antonio Ottaiano, has revealed that he is now seeking talks with the Italian side’s hierarchy to sort out his future. This could leave the way open for Arsenal to swoop.
The player’s representative said: “His future is not certain. We’re waiting to get a sense of the club’s project and ambitions. Also, and this is fundamental, whether the player is still part of their plans. He feels neglected.
“It’s a very simple matter, we’ve been saying for months that we’re expecting a meeting with the club to understand what projects they have. Insigne wants to know his future in detail.”
However, after he only netted twice in those 26 games last time round, it is debatable whether it would be a wise move from the Gunners to bring in the Italian international, who has six caps and one goal for his country.
There are question marks over Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud in the central striking role at the Emirates, but both men scored more than Insigne last time round. The France international managed 19 goals in 37 appearances for the North Londoners, while his English counterpart netted seven times in 25 matches. Even the usually goal-shy Danny Welbeck bagged 14 in 44 games to put Insigne to shame.
Meanwhile, it is unlikely that Insigne would have a role to play in Arsene Wenger’s preferred formation. Alexis Sanchez has his favoured left-sided role tied down, and Insigne hasn’t played much on the right during his career. Even so, there is a lot of competition in this position, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey, and Jack Wilshere all featuring there during the last campaign.