5 Top January Transfer Targets for Rafa Benitez's Napoli

This is Napoli's best ever beginning to a league campaign. Roma's surprise surge has grabbed all the headlines, but in Campania no one has missed the significance of new boss Rafa Benitez's early achievements. 

Not even Alberto Bigon's great side of the late 1980s managed to start a season as strong as this one—and they had Diego Maradona. That was the last time that the Partenopei lifted the Scudetto, so the fans have every right to believe that this Napoli are capable of great things. 

Walter Mazzarri left thinking he needed a move to a bigger club to win. His star striker, Edinson Cavani, thought the same. But club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis disagreed, and though some questioned their ability to succeed without the mercurial Uruguayan, the president went about adding to his Napoli squad—and making it stronger. 

With a title push now a reality, the recruitment is likely to continue when the transfer window opens in January. So what are Napoli's best options? 

Javier Mascherano

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Javier Mascherano recently told Spanish paper El Pais (in English, courtesy of Sky Sports) that he was refusing to rule out a move away from Barcelona. 

It should be music to Benitez's ears. It was while the duo worked together at Liverpool that Mascherano developed into one of the world's finest defensive midfielders, and a player of his calibre would be of immense value to Napoli. 

The Partenopei's current midfield duo of Valon Behrami and Gökhan Inler have been performing reasonably well, but neither have the pure defensive quality of Mascherano, who makes more interceptions, clearances and successful tackles than either of the two Swiss. 

Pairing the former Liverpool man with Behrami would give Benitez a defensive wall in front of his back line, while Mascherano would allow Inler more space to pick passes and initiate attacks. He could also trust the Argentine to cover the back alone and leave him alongside a more attacking player. In short, it would give the manager some very useful options depending on his opponents. 

For Mascherano, it could be an attractive option, too. Despite being world class, he's struggled to hold down a starting place at Barca and is often used in defence, where he's less happy. He knows that with Benitez, he'd be working with his biggest fan, and that support could allow him to play his very best football again without having to worry about losing his place or playing out of position. 

Mateo Musacchio

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Mateo Musacchio will be familiar to fans of Spanish football. The Argentine defender made an instant impact on the league following his debut in 2010, when despite being just 20 he became a firm fixture in Villarreal's back line. 

The former River Plate centre-back has since made more than 110 appearances for El Submarino Amarillo and unsurprisingly is attracting plenty of attention from around Europe. 

Musacchio is not overly physical for a defender, but he's reasonably strong in the air and excellent with the ball at his feet. He's also excellent at reading the game, regularly intercepting dangerous balls.

He's also played as a defensive midfielder in the past, leaving Benitez the option of experimenting with him in the Javier Mascherano role if he can't land the former Liverpool man from Barcelona. 

De Laurentiis has spoken recently to the Italian press about the club's interest in Musacchio, adding that they were looking at his teammate Bruno as well. The report in Italy's Corriere dello Sport goes on to mention that the latter is happy in Spain, however, and that he's gone on record as saying he'd like to finish his career at Villarreal. 

Jucilei

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Another option for the defensive midfield. Neapolitan daily Il Mattino (here in Italian) claims that Jucilei is among Napoli's prime targets during the winter transfer window. 

The Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, who owns FC Anzhi Makhachkala, is known to want to reduce the wage bill at the club, meaning he could be willing to let the 25-year-old leave for Italy. 

Jucilei is as happy defending and making key tackles as he is dribbling and distributing farther up the pitch, and he can play in several positions in the middle, giving Benitez options should he need cover, too. 

Ezequiel Garay

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Argentina and Benfica centre-back Ezequiel Garay is reportedly another of Benitez' targets (h/t, TalkSport). 

The 27-year-old defender has been impressive in Portugal since his move from Real Madrid in 2011, where he had failed to become a consistent starter. Manchester United are also said to be interested, but the Spanish-speaking contingent in Naples could swing it for Garay. 

Luca Antonelli

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Il Mattino's Roberto Ventre also claims that negotiations between Napoli and Genoa are at an advanced stage for the signature of left-back Luca Antonelli.

The former Milan and Parma player has been in good form for the Grifone, but would be open to a move to Naples. It's thought that the Partenopei favour Antonelli—who is also in the running for a place in Cesare Prandelli's Italy squad for the World Cup—to foreign options because he knows the league well and would be able to adapt to life at Napoli quicker. 

This move has been made all the more pressing by the fact that Giandomenico Mesto damaged cruciate ligaments in his knee in the recent game against Catania.