Billy Gilmour is set to clinch a big-money move to Italy after Napoli stepped up their pursuit of the Scotland midfielder.

Boss Antonio Conte has made Gilmour one of his main targets this summer as he seeks to strengthen his squad for the new Serie A campaign. An initial £8million bid was rejected by Brighton and Hove Albion last month.

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But it is understood that Napoli have now returned to the negotiating table once again and are poised to complete a deal that will see Gilmour reunited with Conte at the Italian giants. 

Gilmour will finalise a long-term deal and is expected to put pen-to-paper at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in the coming days as he follows the likes of Lewis Ferguson, Aaron Hickey and Josh Doig in making the move to the Italian top flight.

Conte worked with Gilmour as he progressed through the ranks with Chelsea following his move from Rangers as a 16-year-old. And the former Ibrox kid will now learn from Conte once again after finding himself out of favour at Brighton this summer.

The appointment of Fabian Hürzeler as manager has forced Gilmour, who has also had a loan spell at Norwich City, to look elsewhere in search of regular football this term. And he will now play an integral part in Napoli’s bid to regain the Serie A title after a difficult campaign that saw them have three different managers in the dugout.

“Napoli is a place of global importance. I am happy and excited at the idea of ​​sitting on the blue bench,” Conte said after his appointment this summer. “I can certainly promise one thing: I will do my utmost for the growth of the team and the club. My commitment, together with that of my staff, it will be total.”