Napoli identifies young heir to Lukaku

Which could mean Jonathan David is still in play for everyone else.

Author

Kim McCauley
June 06, 2025

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For the last couple of weeks, Napoli have appeared to be the team in pole position to sign striker Jonathan David from Lille on a free transfer. But there’s a small problem with that proposed move: Antonio Conte doesn’t seem to like him too much. Corriere dello Sport are reporting that Conte has a very strong preference for young Parma striker Ange-Yoan Bonny, who he sees as the perfect understudy for Romelu Lukaku.

In a piece for us earlier this year that seems to be the gift that keeps on giving, Mohamed Mohamed wrote about Bonny’s game and made a comparison to Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram. Not so coincidentally, Inter is Napoli’s main rival for Bonny’s signature.

One of the comparisons that’s been made is with Bonny and Marcus Thuram, another winger who became a full-time forward. Thuram was probably more of an aerial threat at the same age than Bonny was, while Bonny excels more with his back to goal. Perhaps the biggest difference is Thuram’s considerably quicker, making him a bigger threat during transitions and off the ball. Another comp would be Joshua Zirkzee in terms of link-up play and playmaking, although the now Manchester United player showed more technical prowess with Bologna last season.

Parma are asking for €25m, which they’re probably going to get, given that two Champions League clubs are rivaling each other to sign him. But the 21-year-old Frenchman is still very much a diamond in the rough, and very far from a finished product. He was on a poor team this season, but this is still exceptionally low shot volume for a talented and highly coveted striker.

A radar comparison to David is perhaps a bit unfair; they were in different leagues, and David was on a much better team. But it’s still a pretty accurate illustration of two potential schools of thought in the Napoli front office. Bonny is all potential, and there’s not a lot of evidence that he’ll give you immediate production. David is a reliable striker who works hard in the press and takes good shots. Maybe his ceiling isn’t that high, but you know what you’re getting.

But it’s pretty interesting who else doesn’t pop off the charts when it comes to stats you’d expect to see from a top striker: Romelu Lukaku!

While I don’t think Lukaku was exceptional this season, his contributions are hard to capture with data, a bit like a center back’s. His ability to occupy defenders and create space for everyone else with his physicality and off the ball movement is difficult to measure. And it’s clear that Conte values this from his target forward more than just about anything else, including scoring goals.

Bonny clearly has the physical and playmaking tools to become a player that’s a lot like current Lukaku, though I’m not sure he’ll ever score as many goals as prime Lukaku. I’d be weary of continuing to spend money on very specific profiles for a very specific manager, especially when that manager has a history of quitting in dramatic fashion. But I guess if you’re winning league titles, you can just decide to deal with the consequences of this strategy later.

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More transfer rumours:

  • Man United’s initial bid for Bryan Mbeumo was rejected, but they’re still in negotiations and expect to make a deal at around £50m guaranteed + £10m incentives. Once again: Good player, too expensive, need CF and CM way more.

  • Similar story for Rayan Cherki. Lyon have rejected City’s first bid, but everyone seems to expect that a deal will be made eventually.

  • Newcastle want Noni Madueke, and Chelsea want around £50m. Given how much Madueke improved his shooting this year, I’d be inclined to keep him if I was the Blues, but he always seems to be getting shopped around.

  • Kicker is reporting that Rafael Leão met with Bayern Munich and is interested in a move, but AC Milan won’t take a penny less than €70m. We’ll still be hearing Leão rumours in August, and I don’t think anyone’s going to pay up.

  • If Crystal Palace sell Marc Guehi, they’re interested in replacing him with Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande, who would cost £45m. I’d be surprised if he didn’t hold out for a Champions League club, but hey, some people just want to live in London.

  • Gazzetta dello Sport say that Juventus are looking into Niklas Füllkrug, to which I ask: why?

  • I think that talk of Angel Gomes to Premier League clubs was always just agent yapping, but anyway, he’s signing for Marseille.

  • Liverpool have been linked to Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-Jae, which I also think is just agent yapping. He’s 28, would cost more than Liverpool ever pay for 28-year-olds, and hasn’t looked great in a high defensive line. Get ready to re-learn Serie A, buddy.

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