Scott McTominay could soon be reunited with a former Manchester United teammate at Napoli.
McTominay’s success at Napoli
McTominay was named Serie A’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) last season after helping Napoli win the Scudetto on the final day of the season. He scored 12 goals and provided four assists, and became a cult hero among the Italian fans.
Rumours in the Italian media claimed that Antonio Conte was close to leaving the club as manager due to disagreements over transfers, but these were dampened after an emergency meeting and the signing of ex-Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer.
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Napoli are looking for a new striker
According to Italian transfer expert Ciro Venerato, the Italian champions are now planning an attempt to sign striker Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United.
The Dane was left out of United’s squad in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday, and may have played his last game for the club.
Napoli are desperate for a new striker after Romelu Lukaku suffered a serious thigh injury in a friendly against Olympiakos last week. The club confirmed in a statement that the Belgian has a “high-grade” injury, and further assessments will determine whether he needs surgery.
More options on the table
Venerato told RaiNews 24 that Napoli have discussed the signing of no fewer than seven strikers following Lukaku’s injury.
Besides Hojlund, Venerato claims that Conte has also shortlisted his United teammate Joshua Zirkzee, who could also be downgraded at Old Trafford after the signings of Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
Other targets include Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, Lecce’s Nikola Krstovic and Cagliari’s Roberto Piccoli, while Inter Milan’s Mehdi Taremi has been dismissed.
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Mitrović link to Birmingham
rejected Another striker who has been offered to Napoli without success, according to Venerato, is ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović.
The Serbian (30) now plays for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, but has been linked with a somewhat strange move to Championship club Birmingham City.
However, Birmingham Live reports that the club are not interested – not surprisingly, given his salary of almost £400,000 a week in Saudi Arabia.
Key points:
- McTominay could be reunited with either Hojlund or Zirkzee in Naples
- Lukaku’s serious injury has put Napoli in a striker crisis
- United have invested heavily in attack this summer (Sesko, Mbeumo, Cunha)
- Mitrović was a surprising link to Birmingham, but the transfer is unlikely
