Two players Napoli should sign in the summer

It was too little too late for Napoli after their resounding 6-0 win against Bologna came at a time when they were already too far adrift of Serie A leaders Juventus in their bid to win this year's Scudetto.

The Blues failed to capitalise on their title rivals' poor run of form at the start of the season and, with the Old Lady now 1/500 to win Italy's top tier according to the latest Serie A betting, it's back to the drawing board for Maurizio Sarri's men.

With some of Europe's elite clubs also circling in on a number of Napoli's stars this season (Lorenzo Insigne and Gonzalo Higuain amongst others have been linked with moves away from the Stadio San Paolo), Gli Azzurri may have to spend big to pre-empt the departure of some of their most crucial players as well as bringing in fresh talent to compete with Juve again next year.

Here, we take a look at two players Napoli could sign in this summer's transfer window.

1) Sebastian Giovinco

Skilful attacker Sebastian Giovinco could certainly be a useful asset to Napoli should they be able to prise him away from his club, Toronto FC, this summer.

Ever since joining the Canadian outfit in January 2015, the 29-year-old has been the stand-out performer in the MLS. He has scored a very impressive 28 goals in 40 games (at the time of writing). Whilst his motives were questioned following his move to a league that has garnered a reputation as being somewhat of a graveyard for ageing stars, the striker has more than answered his critics after winning the MLS player of the season award last year.

For a Napoli side that failed to capitalise on Juve's early-season woes, it is clear that strength in depth is something that manager Maurizio Sarri must address in the summer. And without placing too much pressure on Argentine striker Higuain to repeat his goalscoring exploits of 2015/2016, a player of Giovinco's ilk, who has already proven he can cut it at the highest level during his previous stint with the Old Lady, could add that extra dimension to Napoli's attack.

2) Pablo Zabaleta

Once a mainstay in Manchester City's solid rearguard, Pablo Zabaleta has found first-team football hard to come by this season after only playing a handful games. The 31-year-old was highly revered as one of the best full-backs in the world but since losing his place at right-back to Bacary Sagna at the Eithad this season, he is reportedly thinking about calling time on his stint at the club.

Whilst goals have been in plentiful supply for Napoli this season, their defence, which has had a tendency to get caught out of position on the flanks, could certainly benefit from a defender of Zabaleta's experience. With just one more year left to run on his current contract, the Argentine should be free to leave City at a reasonable price this summer, which would certainly entice many European clubs to throw their hat into the ring for his signature.