Napoli will make a move for Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour next week, Telegraph Sport understands.
The Scotland international has been identified by Napoli manager Antonio Conte as a key target to bolster his midfield, with the Italian side set to formalise their interest.
Conte worked with Gilmour at Chelsea, where he made his breakthrough before moving to Brighton two years ago.
Gilmour is thought to have two years left on his contract at Brighton, for whom he made 30 Premier League appearances last season.
Conte joined Napoli earlier this summer and has set about overhauling his squad, starting with the defence where he has signed Alessandro Buongiorno from Torino, Rafa MarÃn from Real Madrid and Leonardo Spinazzola from Roma for a combined total of £40 million. The club are also thought to have an interest in Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku, another player Conte has worked with before.
It remains to be seen whether Brighton will be willing to sell Gilmour, with the decision set to be one of the first major calls by new manager Fabian Hurzeler.
Brighton have spent big already this summer, bringing in Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle for £33 million, midfielder Mats Wieffer from Feyenoord for £25 million and Ibrahim Osman from Nordsjaelland for £16 million.
Gilmour has become a key player since joining Brighton, being a firm favourite under former manager Roberto De Zerbi.
The 23-year-old made only 22 appearances for Chelsea but has become a regular in the Seagulls’ midfield, featuring heavily in their run to the Europa League last 16. He also played in all three of Scotland’s games as they exited Euro 2024 at the group stage, coming off the bench against Germany before starting against both Switzerland and Hungary.
Napoli’s summer is being dominated by the issue of whether they will sell Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen. The forward has long been linked with a big-money move away from the club with Paris Saint-Germain thought to be his most likely destination.