Dani Osvaldo: Former Southampton bad boy can join Napoli. But will he put music first?
Serie A title hopefuls bid to lure guitar-playing maverick striker out of retirement following Arkadiusz Milik blow
DANI OSVALDO has been heavily touted as an emergency replacement for injured Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik.
But there is a problem... the guitar-playing South American seems more interested in making music than playing football.
Polish hitman Milik tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the World Cup qualifier with Denmark. Likely surgery will keep him out of action for four months.
Now Napoli are desperately trying to find a solution to losing their top scorer, who has seven goals in nine games.
Argentine-Italian Osvaldo - best known for picking fights with opponents and team-mates alike, and who has been linked with Napoli over the years - is a free agent after leaving Boca Juniors following a stint with Porto.
However, the former Southampton forward turned down a move to Chievo and Pescara in the summer so he could focus on his music.
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Federico Macheda has also been mentioned, but the ex-Manchester United and Cardiff City player has not been contacted.
“At the moment nobody from Napoli has called me, but I don’t know what could happen over the next few days,” said his agent Donato Di Campli.
Osvaldo left Southampton in 2015 having been suspended for two weeks following an undisclosed training ground incident, later revealed to have been a fight with teammate Jose Fonte.
Following his departure, Osvaldo admitted he had struggled to adapt to playing in England, describing the Premier League as a "very physical type of game, with really tough tackling".
Given his current status, Osvaldo could be registered right away. By the same token he has not been in full training for four months.