Antonio Conte, the Napoli manager, has reportedly requested the club to acquire Dejan Kulusevski, a 24-year-old midfielder he previously managed at Tottenham.
The British media outlet TeamTalk, citing Italy's TuttoJuve on the 28th (Korea time), reported, "Conte wants Kulusevski. Napoli needs proven talents to compete in Italy and Europe, and he has requested the club to acquire him."
This season, Kulusevski has appeared in 42 matches for Tottenham as an attacking midfielder and right winger, scoring 10 goals and providing 10 assists. He is recognized as the most consistent performer under manager Ange Postecoglou.
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster praised Kulusevski through his YouTube channel last January, stating, "Kulusevski is an unbelievably amazing player. He has had the best season."
Conte established a connection with Kulusevski while at Tottenham. He joined Tottenham in November 2021 and managed Kulusevski, who was acquired on loan from Juventus in January 2022, for one year and two months. At that time, Kulusevski quickly integrated into the team, and Conte highly valued his potential.
Kulusevski has a top-tier level of activity in the league. According to the football statistics firm Opta, Kulusevski recorded an average of 12.3 km per match among players who played over 1,500 minutes in the Premier League this season, ranking first in this institutional sector.
However, recently, he temporarily fell out of the lineup due to accumulated fatigue from excessive appearances and a foot injury.
Conte, having adequately assessed Kulusevski's capabilities, aims to make him a central resource in Napoli's attack.
However, it is of interest whether Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham, who is well aware that the midfield depth is thin, will let him go.
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