Napoli and Manchester United have reportedly agreed on terms over Axel Tuanzebe’s loan switch to Serie A in the January transfer window. The prodigious defender is currently on loan at Aston Villa, but a lack of game time under Steven Gerrard threatens to end it prematurely.
Luciano Spalletti lacks strength in depth, as evidenced by Napoli’s underwhelming results following Kalidou Koulibaly’s calf injury. The Senegalese center-back picked up an injury during his side’s 2-2 draw at Sassuolo in early December 2020, leaving his head coach short of reliable options at the back.
Though former Roma defender Juan Jesus slotted in for Koulibaly, it seems Spalletti is not satisfied with the Brazilian’s output and would like to reinforce his options this winter. Therefore, the Italian manager has identified Tuanzebe as the solution to Napoli’s glaring issue.
Meanwhile, Tuanzebe is in the midst of his third loan spell at Villa Park, having been there during Villa’s stint in the Championship in 2018/19. However, since Gerrard replaced Dean Smith in the dugout in late November, the 24-year-old has tumbled down the pecking order.
The versatile defender considers cutting his Villa spell short in favor of joining Napoli in January. The Italians have recently made a breakthrough in negotiations and are now on the verge of landing the Englishman. According to Inside Futbol, the homegrown Old Trafford star is pushing ahead for a move to Serie A while the Partenopei already have an agreement in principle with Man United.
Napoli will reportedly fork out €800,000 to get Tuanzebe on loan until the remainder of the season, with an option to make it permanent in the summer for a fee of €20m. Since he has no future at the Theatre of Dreams and his contract runs out in summer 2023, the Red Devils are ready to cash in on their out-of-favor star.