Napoli have begun searching for a new defender, as they are unlikely to keep Axel Tuanzebe. The Manchester United loanee has failed to find his footing in Serie A. Moreover, he has spent the last few weeks on the mend because of back problems. He has logged just two appearances for a total of 130 minutes since the January switch.
The Azzurri signed him on a straight loan with no option to buy. However, they planned to eventually negotiate a permanent acquisition if he fared well. That has not been the case so far, and they will probably look for a different contributor. They paid €600k to have him for six months.
Director Cristiano Giuntoli will go back to the pool of options he tracked in January before landing Tuanzebe. Napoli are particularly high on Fenerbahce defender Kim Min-Jae, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs. However, he has a €15M price tag, which hindered their pursuit in the previous window. Lazio were after him as well. Both teams also insistently pursued Verona’s Nicolò Casale.
The Partenopei will start another crucial stretch of the schedule today. They will square off against Barcelona, Lazio, and Milan in the span of two weeks. Cementing their Champions League spot will allow them to plan their summer moves with more funds in their pocket. On top of a central defender, Napoli will sign a left-back and a replacement for Lorenzo Insigne. The talks to acquire Getafe’s Matthias Olivera and Real Sociedad’s Adnan Januzaj are at a good point, the publication adds.