One of Manchester United’s players could be set to join Scott McTominay at Napoli – and it may not be who you’d expect.
McTominay, 28, joined the Serie A side in August 2024 in a deal worth £25.7m, according to BBC Sport.
So far, he has impressed under the guidance of former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte, with the Scot playing 13 of the club’s 16 league games so far this term – scoring three goals and providing two assists.
Another former United man, Romelu Lukaku, is also enjoying life in Naples with his six goals and four assists helping the Gli Azzurri to second place in the Italian top-flight, currently trailing leaders Atalanta by two points.
The spine of Conte’s team is a strong one, but they may look to bolster their options come this summer.
According to The Athletic, Napoli are in the market for defenders and “are said to see Maguire as an attractive option”.
Of course, the England international signed for United from Leicester City for a world record fee for a defender worth £80m in August 2019, according to Sky Sports.
Maguire has made eight starts and five substitute appearances in the 2024/25 campaign, but Ruben Amorim seems to favour the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as youngster Leny Yoro who has featured in recent weeks.
Harry Maguire is out of contract at the end of the season (Credit:Getty)
The defender’s United contract is set to expire in June 2025, and he will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs when the transfer window opens on January 1, 2025.
This means he would essentially be able to join the club for the 2024/25 season without the Italians needing to pay a fee to United.
If he were to join the 2022/23 Serie A champions, Maguire would compete with Alessandro Buongiorno and Amir Rrahmani for a starting place in Conte’s side.
Back in 2019, Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, explained how he would’ve paid £30m for Maguire, not the huge figure United shelled out.
“But, for example, in England, they paid £85m for a player,” he told ESPN.
“In Napoli, I would pay £30-£35m.”
“The problem of the super cost of the players is due to England,” he added.
“In England, they gross more money than in France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
“If a club grosses £800m, they have no problem to offer around £80m, £90m, £100m for one player. There is not a real good and fair competition between England and the other countries.”