Napoli's transfer activity intensified in the days before their Serie A opener, with the club closing in on Chelsea centre-back Benoît Badiashile on loan — a deal that appears agreed, with a €27 million option to buy attached — while simultaneously exploring wide attacking options including Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli. For Napoli midfielder Antonio Vergara, 23, the shape of the squad he will operate in next weekend is still being drawn.
The nut graf is this: Napoli finished 2025-26 second in Serie A on 76 points, one win short of the summit across 38 matches. That margin — the difference between a title and a runners-up finish — is precisely why Antonio Conte's Napoli are moving with such urgency in August. The defensive reinforcement through Badiashile addresses a backline that conceded 36 goals last season. The pursuit of attacking width is about solving the other side of the equation: 58 goals scored is a respectable total, but not a dominant one for a side with title ambitions.
Vergara's own numbers from last season reflect a squad role rather than a starring one. Twelve appearances, one goal, two assists, and an average rating of 6.90 tell the story of a player who contributed without commanding. At 23, with an AI potential ceiling of 68 out of 100 against a current overall of 56, he sits at the developmental crossroads where the next twelve months will define his trajectory — either as a genuine Conte option or as a player whose value is best realised elsewhere.
The Martinelli pursuit is relevant to Vergara specifically because width and creativity in the final third are precisely the areas where a central midfielder benefits most. A wide attacker who can stretch defences and create second-ball situations changes the geometry for everyone behind him. If Napoli land that profile, Vergara's ability to arrive late into space — evidenced, however modestly, by his goal and assist return — becomes more exploitable.
The Ngonge situation cuts the other way. A €20 million outlay on a player now attracting interest from Monza represents a squad slot and a wage that could be redirected. Napoli's willingness to move him on suggests Conte is prioritising quality of contribution over depth of roster, a philosophy that raises the bar for every peripheral player, Vergara included.
The Zeballos pursuit, complicated by Celta Vigo's reported intervention, adds further uncertainty to the attacking picture. Napoli may yet enter the season with their forward line only partially resolved.
What is clear from the aggregate of this window is that Napoli are building deliberately, not reactively. For Vergara, that means competing for minutes in a squad that Conte is actively sharpening — and the standard being set around him is unambiguous.