Antonio Conte had an excellent first season at Napoli, taking them to the clubs fourth scudetto title. Conte decided to stay in Naples despite rumours speculating a move to Turin to join Juventus. And now he is looking to defend Napoli status as the Italian Champions this season.

However, it won’t be as easy as last season, Napoli are now playing in the Champions League. This will see the club play eight midweek games, making squad rotation key. This wasn’t an issue for them last season, only playing once a week, which kept the whole squad healthy and match fit.

They have also faced more injuries this season, with star striker Romelu Lukaku going down for multiple months in pre-seasons. Napoli had enough time to sign Lorenzo Lucca and Rasmus Hojlund to replace Lukaku while he was out injured. However, they have had mid-season in midfield.

Both Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa have gone down with long term injuries. This leaves Napoli out of depth in midfield, especially with Stanislav Lobotka still recovering from injury. This left with Napoli looking to making a signing to replace the injured.

The main name that Napoli where chasing is Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United. The youngster has failed to make a name for himself under Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim. This has left him looking for a loan move away from Manchester to find more playing time, which is why Napoli was an appealing option.

But, according to CalcioMercato the deal is off, as Mainoo looks to extend his contract in Manchester. Currently his contract at United expires at the end of next season. But, the extension is to raise his wage as a vote of confidence to stay in Manchester, instead of demanding a move away.

Juventus have had a poor season so far, the Turin based side went winless in eight games in a row after their derby d’Italia win. This lead to Juventus dismissing, head coach Igor Tudor, and replaced him within a week. They bought in Scudetto winning Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti.

The coach bought in his own tactics, leading to some radical changes. This was present in the move which saw Teun Koopmeiners become a centre back. This saw some outrage amongst fans as the 60 million euro man was signed to create goals not stop them. This change was made for two reasons under Spalletti.

A lack of depth in the position and the injury to Gleison Bremer caused the change. However, Juventus are looking to solve this issue according to Tuttosport they are solving this issue in January. They are aiming to look inside Serie A to make this signing, looking at Tiago Gabriel from Lecce.

Juventus are looking at Gabriel as he has started this season in good form for Lecce, and is a younger player. Juventus like that he is only 20-years-old for two reasons. Firstly, he still has plenty of time to develop and isn’t a complete project, so he could hold a higher market value one day. Secondly, he is old enough where he can be assigned to next gen, not part of the serie a list, and still be called up for some games.

According to Nico Schria, Juventus have made first contact with the player and his entourage. These talks went well as he is open to a move to Turin and leaving Lecce. This means that this move could mean it happens as soon as Januray, if Juventus can negotiate with Lecce to complete the deal.

Juventus and Inter are two teams, at the start of new projects chasing success under new coaches. Juventus had Igor Tudor, who has now been replaced by Luciano Spalletti. Inter also hired a new head coach after Simone Inzaghi left to work in Saudi Arabia. They replaced him with Christian Chivu from Parma and former Inter player to take over the side.

Juventus didn’t compete for Chivu from Parma as they had their eyes set on other managers. However, Juventus and Inter are now fighting over a Parma player if reports are to be believed. Adrián Bernabé who has had an outstanding season so far at Parma.

He has scored in his last two games this season against Bologna and AC Milan at home. His form has left the two clubs chasing him as they look to bring in midfielders to help with their future. This is especially true as Bernabé is only twenty-four years old currently.

Both teams understand that he will be hard to get off Parma hands, so both teams have a back-up plan ready. Gazzetta dello sport reports that Juventus are looking to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as the back up. This is because Juventus see him as an option because he is older and more expirenced.

Juventus believed that he can be a leader in Spalletti project if he is signed. But his age is a concern at thirty-years old especially considering Juventus aren’t exactly a win now team. Inter however, have gone younger for their back up recording to reports from FCInternews they have set their eyes on Aleksandar Stankovic from Club Brugge.

He has stood out in the league and Champions League so far this season. Chivu would like to pair either them with new signing Petar Sucic for next season. However, Bernabé is still the first preference as Inter have sent scouts to watch him play against Bolgona.