Has Napoli expressed interest in Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi?

It appears Naples loves its drama … its damsels in distress … and Mauro Icardi?

News out of Napoli is they have submitted an offer to lure the Argentinian striker away from Inter Milan and are willing to pay … and pay big.

Tuttomercatoweb has reported Napoli is offering Icardi €9 million per season with an additional €2 million in bonuses split between performance goals and team success.

It would make Icardi the second-highest paid player in Italy behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

If the rumors are true – this is Italian media remember – the offer would shadow that which was reportedly presented to Icardi from Inter -- €6.5 million or €7 million per season.

If the rumors are true, I would be hard-pressed to think that Inter would match.

But wait, there’s more.

Apparently Napoli isn’t the only team interested. Juventus is working to try to secure Icardi as well, according to the Tuttomercatoweb report.

Now, the Old Lady hasn’t made any offers to either Inter Milan or Icardi, but the report suggests Inter Milan management have already decided to sell Icardi to Juventus in hopes of making a Brinks truck worth of money in the process.

It is easy to see that Juventus would be the decision considering former CEO Beppe Marotta is now Inter’s CEO, so there is somewhat of a relationship there.

My biggest question is what is the financial windfall Inter is hoping to gain by selling Icardi in Italy? Also, is it a risk to sell Icardi to another Serie A squad?

Well, the answer to the second question is a resounding ‘yes.’ It could come to pass that Icardi flourishes at another Italian club. I am not sure if that club is Juventus, however. Juventus already has a very potent attack and, unless they plan to unload a player like Paulo Dybala in the summer, it would be hard to see Icardi getting a consistent starting role.

Napoli, on the other hand, would be a better fit for the player. Matching him with Lorenzo Insigne, Simone Verdi and Dries Merten would be a better situation for Icardi.

Either way, if it is down to Napoli or Juventus, both teams would see a strengthening of attack by adding Icardi.

But, is Marotta willing to take the risk of being the man to sold Icardi?

If the club does sell, it would immediately put them on the market for another striker during the summer. This is not going to be a position likely filled by a free transfer, so Inter is going to have to pony up some cash to get someone else.

That means, they are going to have to make something off Icardi’s sell to make that happen, because that kind of money isn’t going to come straight from Suning.

It doesn’t mean there aren’t any options out there. Inter has been linked with the likes of Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette and even AS Roma forward Edin Dzeko.

Regardless, any team that picks up Icardi in the summer is going to have to deal with one constant … Wanda Nara. Icardi’s wife/agent has exacerbated the current situation by playing out the drama on Italian television.

Is that a price worth paying? If Icardi becomes as productive as he has in the previous few seasons, then maybe. If not, the answer is ‘no.’

One thing is for sure: The coming weeks promise to be very interesting as this drama continues to unfold.

What do you think? Post your comments below!