Napoli have a verbal agreement in place for the transfer of Lens defender Kevin Danso.
According to Calciomercato, the reigning Serie A champions have received the player’s go-ahead after satisfying his personal requests.
Danso has worked his way up the ranks at Lens since arriving from Augsburg in 2021, becoming one of the fundamental parts of Franck Haise’s set-up.
The 24-year-old played a major role as Les Sang et Or pushed Paris Saint-Germain to their limits in an unexpected title race in Ligue 1, only to settle for a runner-up finish.
One point stood between the sides when the curtain dropped, denying Haise’s side a unique opportunity to win only their second-ever league title.
Despite narrowly missing out on domestic supremacy, Lens will feature in next season’s Champions League, but they risk falling victim to their success.
Captain Seko Fofana and marquee striker Lois Openda have already left the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, and Danso could be next, with Napoli inching closer to acquiring his services.
After reluctantly allowing standout centre-back Kim Min-jae to join Bayern Munich, who have triggered his €50 million release clause, the Italians have cast a wide net to replace their departed star.
They have examined numerous profiles, ranging from Borussia Monchengladbach’s Ko Itakura to Wolverhampton Wanders’ Max Kilman.
However, Kilman is close to renewing his contract at Molineux, while Garcia doesn’t see Itakura as a fitting replacement for the South Korea international.
That’s where Danso comes in.
In addition to being keen on a move, the Austrian defender would command a significantly lower price tag than the Wolves star.
He won’t come cheap, with Lens expected to demand up to €30m despite putting the brakes on extension talks with the player amid concrete interest from Napoli.
