BURY, ENGLAND - Saturday, July 14, 2018: Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne during a preseason friendly match between Bury FC and Liverpool FC at Gigg Lane. (Pic by Paul Greenwood/Propaganda)

Nathaniel Clyne attracts surprise interest from Serie A as £15m deal grows more likely

Nathaniel Clyne is set to leave Liverpool on a permanent deal this summer, and the right-back is attracting interest from both the Premier League and Serie A.

Clyne spent the second half of the campaign on loan with Bournemouth, after the difficult decision was made that his desire for first-team football was more important than the Reds’ squad depth.

It was one widely criticised at the time, but Jurgen Klopp‘s side largely scraped through despite injuries to both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez.

Now with Alexander-Arnold continuing to make big strides as first-choice right-back, and Clyne soon to enter the final year of his contract, Liverpool are looking to sell their No. 2 for £15 million.

Bournemouth were touted as a likely suitor back in April, with West Ham also linked, while Leicester City were credited with an interest prior to the January transfer window.

But according to Goal‘s Neil Jones, Serie A challengers Napoli have emerged as another possible destination for the 28-year-old as they target a new right-back.

Jones claims that the Naples outfit—who won one, lost one to Liverpool in this season’s Champions League group stage—have “made contact with the Reds” over a move.

This comes after reports of a possible £25 million bid for Tottenham‘s Keiran Trippier, with Clyne’s price tag presenting a more cost-effective option for a player who is seven months younger.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, October 7, 2018: Liverpool's unused player Nathaniel Clyne during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

It is clear that, despite proving his ability at the top level in the 3-1 win over Man United in December, there is no place for Clyne at Anfield on the long term.

Alexander-Arnold is still only 20, and can go from strength to strength as first choice, while the likes of Ki-Jana Hoever and Neco Williams are showing real promise.

Whether Liverpool target a new backup to Alexander-Arnold this summer remains to be seen, with Gomez’s future no doubt at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Moving to Serie A would be a bold choice for Clyne, but it could pay off as he seeks to revitalise a career that has stagnated in the past two seasons.

Issues with fitness saw him lose his place at Liverpool, while he struggled for consistency on loan at Bournemouth and ended the campaign at left-back.

The Cherries have already signed Lloyd Kelly in a £13 million deal with Bristol City, which could rule Eddie Howe’s side out of the running if he decides he already has enough options at full-back.