Napoli deal transfer blow to Aston Villa with £16m agreement for Belgian star

Aston Villa are reportedly set to be handed a severe blow in their attempts to add to their squad this month after Serie A champions Napoli made a firm move for one key target.

Hellas Verona forward Cyril Ngonge is said to be attracting interest from Villa and a number of clubs across Europe after hitting form in Italy following a cut-price move from Dutch side FC Groningen last January.

With speculation over his next move hitting the headlines in both England and Italy in recent weeks, the in-form 23-year-old has already given an indication of how he views his future and revealed he ‘dreams’ of playing for Arsenal.

Speaking in a revealing interview with TuttoMercatoWeb during the summer, he said: ”I didn't experience it (moving to Italy) as a gamble, but as an opportunity. This is thanks to the visibility that Serie A gives you and I knew I could show my abilities to the world. In the next season I would like to have an even greater impact on Serie A. (I am) hoping to play a full season. My dream has always been to play for Arsenal. But now I'm in Italy, I really like it and so I might even want to stay. I'm joking, of course."

The former Belgium Under-21 star has enjoyed a successful first half to the season after scoring six goals and providing two assists in 21 appearances and that form is said to have captured the attention of Villa’s recruitment staff as they look to boost Unai Emery’s squad.

However, Sky Italia have revealed Villa are facing serious competition from Serie A duo Fiorentina and Napoli, with the latter now said to be making significant progress over a deal after reportedly reaching an agreement with Verona.

Reporter Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed Fiorentina ‘moved first’ to attempt to reach an agreement with their league rivals but it is reigning Serie A champions Napoli that are now in pole position after seeing a £16m offer accepted for the forward.