After struggling under Steven Gerrard for regular minutes at Aston Villa, Axel Tuanzebe’s loan stay at Villa Park was cut short.
Last weekend, Manchester United confirmed the defender joined Napoli on a temporary deal until the end of the season. As a part of the agreement between the two clubs, there is no option or obligation to make the transfer permanent next summer.
The Serie A side take on Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia clash on Thursday and according to Area Napoli, the 24-year-old is set to make his debut as a starter for the new club.
Cristiano Giuntoli, the sporting director of the Italian club already has plans to retain the centre-back beyond this campaign. As per the report, the two clubs could ‘negotiate the definitive sale’ after this season.
As things stand, the valuation in Italy and England are ‘different’. United could request for a €20m fee, while Napoli don’t intend to pay more than €9-10m to secure Tuanzebe’s services on a permanent deal.
The defender is yet to make an appearance for Napoli, but Giuntoli is already at work, trying to ‘close the super deal’ with United.
