The rumour mill might already be in full summer swagger, but with the Copa America over and the transfer window proper set to open for business at the end of the week, it’s about to go in to overdrive. While Liverpool wait for the European Championships to finish up before finalizing a move for Udinese man Piotr Zieli?ski after edging out Italian club Napoli for his signature, it sounds like the Neapolitans are set to pull things level as news that FC Porto midfielder Hector Herrera apparently favours a move to the Stadio San Paolo over one to Anfield doing the rounds.
Having finished runners-up to Juventus last season, the Serie A side have a Champions League campaign to plan for and they’ll be looking to splash the cash accordingly with an initial offer of €18mil plus a further €5mil in add-ons earmarked for the Mexican midfielder — which is, if you believe Italian media outlet Fantagazzetta, less than what Liverpool are prepared to pay for him.
Now, just what that offer is remains to be seen, but top level European football, as per usual, appears to be the deciding factor for Herrera and with the Reds unable to offer any sort of continental action at all, the decision seems pretty easy for the 26-year old. As fickle as they come, Porto could very well have the final say in whether or not Napoli get their man; they’re no slouches when it comes to getting top dollar for their considerable talent.
ESPN Mexico are saying that terms are already being discussed between the two sides, but this one might take a turn. Scoring nine goals and creating a further five as the Portuguese giants underachieved to a third place finish, Herrera is in high demand throughout Europe and with the Dragons in a spot of bother without the considerable income generated by participation in the Champions League, they could very well wait this one out and either hope Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp can convince him to take a chance on his side or Napoli go whole hog and stump up the kind of cash the Reds are willing to spend.
