Considering Matteo Darmian to Juventus seemed pretty much wrapped up about a month ago, the fact the transfer has yet to be announced suggests there’s still some way to go, with recent reports maintaining the Serie A champions aren’t prepared to meet Manchester United’s demands.
This delay has given other teams time to assess their own situations, and with Napoli losing Christian Maggio on a free at the end of his contract, a backup for Elseid Hysaj will be needed.
That man appears to be RB Salzburg’s Stefan Lainer, and talks to sign the 25-year-old are well underway.
However, Corriere dello Sport on Tuesday explain that with Hysaj’s €50m release clause, which is valid until June 30th, anything can happen in the transfer market, and Napoli have to plan for every possibility.
That’s where the Manchester United right-back comes in, which the Italian newspaper described as a ‘hypothesis to consider and keep in mind’, which Napoli have started to do.
Carlo Ancelotti and Darmian have some history together, dating back to his time at Milan, prior to his 2010 move to Palermo.
The new Napoli manager was the one to give the 28-year-old his debut back in 2006 in a 2-1 Coppa Italia win against Brescia.
