Napoli have registered their interest in signing Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Tuanzebe, 24, is currently on loan at Aston Villa, but making limited appearances, especially after Steven Gerrard took over as manager.
Napoli Interested in Manchester United Defender Axel Tuanzebe
Aston Villa Loan Spell in the Way
In order for a move to happen, his current loan spell at Aston Villa would have to be terminated. Tuanzebe is in his third and perhaps least successful spell with The Villains. Napoli are keen on signing him and would look toward a loan from the Red Devils, with an option to buy.
Tuanzebe, who represented England U21s in 2017 but is yet to appear at senior international level, has featured just nine times in the Premier League this season and found himself on the bench more and more of late, he is seemingly deemed surplus by Steven Gerrard, who has given him just eight minutes of football since becoming Villa boss.
The defender had been popular at Villa Park before he even arrived this summer, having had two loan spells at the club before. He joined on loan in 2018, though it ended early through injury and he subsequently returned for a successful 2018/19 season – which was also hit with a mid-season injury.
Where Axel Tuanzebe Could Slot in at Napoli
Napoli are enjoying a decent season, though have lost two of their last three games. Those losses have proved costly in seeing them lose ground in the Serie A title race – Inter Milan are now top and seven points clear of third-placed Napoli.
They have conceded the least goals in the top-flight and will look to continue such strength at the back.
Napoli are set to lose Kalidou Koulibaly to the Africa Cup of Nations and have let Kostas Manolas leave the club, so Tuanzebe could be a good option to fill the gap.
Manchester United Perspective
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it appeared clear that Axel Tuanzebe wasn’t quite taking a position in his team. However, with Manchester United now under the interim management of Ralf Rangnick, his stance on Tuanzebe is unknown. That said, Tuanzebe, barring a few stellar performances, has not quite been consistent enough for Manchester United and it wouldn’t be surprising if they were to let him leave the club.
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