Manchester United transfer rumour: Matteo Darmian set for a return to Italy
Matteo Darmian’s stay at Manchester United seems to have come to an end. After spending the last season at Old Trafford, the Italian seems to have fallen out of favour under new manager Jose Mourinho and an exit from the club now seems to be on the cards for the right back.
Mourinho’s tenure at the Red Devils got off to a great start as he led the team to a victory in the Community Shield and followed that up with a convincing win away to Bournemouth in their Premier League opener. However, the Italian was nowhere to be seen and wasn’t included in the team’s matchday squad for the season opener with Antonio Valencia being preferred to him at the right-back spot.
Darmian arrived at Old Trafford last summer for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £12.7 million after impressing in his four-year spell at Torino. In his first year at the club, Darmian solidified his position as the first-choice right-back under Louis van Gaal. And his performances were soon recognised as he was voted Manchester United's August 2015 player of the month.
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In a season that saw him battle niggling injuries, Darmian made 28 appearances for the Red Devils in a disappointing season as they missed out on a Champions League qualification for the second time in three years. And with Mourinho at the helm, that seems to be one of their main goals, and with the Portuguese manager seeing him as surplus to requirement, an exit from the club looks likely.
Darmian is not short on admirers with a number of clubs from his native Italy keen on bringing the defender back home. The right back was initially linked with a move to Roma. But, now it seems that Napoli are eyeing his services as well and are ready to meet the asking price.
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Napoli are not short on cash after bagging £75million from the sale of their Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain to Serie A rivals Juventus earlier this summer. After finishing runners-up last season, the North Italian side would like to have another crack at the Serie A title and end Juventus’ reign at the top.
And Napili manager Maurizio Sarri knows they have to build from the back and Darmian gives them a viable to do exactly that. Napoli are also desperately seeking a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain are have been linked with a move for Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi time and time again.