​Southampton are edging closer to sealing the £15m transfer of Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini, according to the ​Daily Mail.





The Serie A club are demanding £15m up front with further add-ons after rejecting Southampton's prior offer of £13.5m with £3.5m in add-ons and a ten percent sell-on clause.

Gabbiadini has already expressed a willingness to join Southampton with his current playing opportunities at Napoli limited.





His representatives have already outlined a contract agreement and it seems likely that the Italy international will join the likes of Charlie Austin, Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez as striking options for Claude Puel's Saints team.





Stoke and Everton were reportedly interested in Gabbiadini during the summer while Wolfsburg have also made offers in the past but wanted an initial loan deal instead of a permanent transfer.





Gabbiadini started his career at Atalanta, scoring two goals in 26 appearances before earning a move to Juventus.

Gabbiadini failed to make an appearance at the Old Lady, instead moving to Bologna on loan before making a permanent switch to Sampdoria.





A further 15 Serie A goals in 47 appearances followed before a transfer to Napoli in 2015, where Gabbiadini has managed another 15 league goals in 55 games.





Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri has preferred Dries Mertens to Gabbiadini in a forward role this term, with the Belgian contributing 12 Serie A goals and two assists in 19 appearances.





The likes of Jose Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne and Marek Hamsik have also chipped in with more goals than Gabbiadini this term, while Arkadiusz Milik has been absent injured since October but still managed four league strikes. ​





​​