Italian Serie A side, Napoli, have debunked rumours about agreeing a deal with Manchester United for a player plus cash offer for Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 25-year-old joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in September, and has been in fine form for Okan Buruk’s side, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in nine games in all competitions.

As per Cult of Calcio, there’s some element of truth to the rumours about Manchester United offering a trade between Victor Osimhen and Joshua Zirkzee, but Napoli aren’t open to the idea.

The Italian side want cash payment upfront for the Nigerian striker from any team that are interested in his services, and will hold out for that, even if they have to wait until next summer.Nigerian football souvenirs

Despite Osimhen and Galatasaray ruling out the possibility of a January departure, Napoli made it clear that it’ll depend on the offers they receive. The suitors will have to reach an agreement with the Turkish outfit too. Another transfer will be possible if a team activates the striker’s reduced release clause of €75m.

Manchester United’s swap deal will see Napoli get €30m plus Zirkzee which would see them fall short of about €45m than their initial target. Additionally, Antonio Conte’s side are not looking for another striker at the moment and are very content with the services of Romelu Lukaku.

Rather than tweaking the frontline, Antonio Conte has asked for some reinforcements in the defence, and Napoli would need to make sales for that, ruling out Manchester United’s swap deal option.

Chelsea are still interested in Osimhen, but any talks will have to be continued after the season ends in May.

According to journalist Christopher Michel, Manchester United are still interested in signing Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies on a free transfer next summer, as reported by Football Talk.

The Red Devils currently have Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia as their specialist left-back options, but both have been injury-prone for some time. Hence, Man Utd may want a more reliable figure going forward and Michel claims that Davies is the dream option for manager Ruben Amorim.

Davies has predominantly played as a left-back for Bayern, but he is considered by United as a solution for the left wing-back position in a 3-4-3 set-up. Davies’ deal at Bayern expires at the end of June 2025 and he is free to negotiate a pre-contract with a foreign club at the turn of the year.

Quality
Luke Shaw has been United’s main outlet from the left-back position, but he has suffered plenty of injuries in his career. He has struggled to handle a heavy workload over multiple months and United need a more reliable option going forward.

Malacia was considered as a proper back-up when he first arrived at the club, but there are concerns over him too. The Dutchman has returned to training lately, but he has not played a competitive game of any form since the summer of 2023.

There is a possibility that one of the duo could be offloaded next summer. Davies would be a superb replacement as he has the attributes to suit Amorim’s tactics. Davies has played as a regular winger when on international duty with Canada.

The £42 million-rated star assumes a defensive role with Bayern. His defensive and attacking attributes make him an ideal fit for the left wing-back role.

In the current season, Davies has three assists for Bayern. He has also been brilliant defensively with 5.4 duels and 1.7 tackles won per appearance with 6.4 recoveries. He has averaged almost 2 take-ons per Bundesliga outing under manager Vincent Kompany.

Davies, who has been described as ‘world-class‘ by Bundesliga.com, would be a fabulous signing on a free transfer for United. The big question mark is whether they can persuade him to join them amid their lack of progress in the Premier League.

Joshua Zirkzee is considering parting ways with Manchester United just six months after signing for the club.

According to a report from Calicomercato, Joshua Zirkzee is not happy at Manchester United and he could push for a move away from the club during the upcoming transfer window. He has been heavily linked with a return to the Serie A where Juventus seem quite keen on signing him.

While things didn’t work out for him at Bayern Munich, Zirkzee made a name for himself while playing for Bologna in the Italian top flight. On the back of an impressive 2023/24 season where he scored 12 goals and bagged seven assists for the Italian club, he made the move to Manchester United last summer.

Zirkzee’s failed United move
The Reds Devils forked out a massive €42.5 million to add him to their squad at the request of Erik ten Hag. Unfortunately, the move hasn’t worked out in their favour. While Zirkzee had an exceptional start to life at Old Trafford as he scored on his debut, things have only gone downhill ever since.

He has been involved in a total of 17 fixtures so far and hasn’t scored again. The majority of his appearances have been cameos as Ten Hag was reluctant to use him from the start. The lack of game time has frustrated the Dutch international who is now considering his future.

While he will be hoping that the arrival of Ruben Amorim gives him another opportunity to work his way into the starting XI, he could end up leaving the club in January if the Portuguese manager doesn’t consider him an important part of their plans.

Zirkzee could leave United in January
Leaving Old Trafford this early would mean giving up on a fight but it could be the right decision to get his career back on track elsewhere. He has been heavily linked with a return to Italy and Juventus have emerged as a potential destination.

He could reunite with former boss Thiago Motta at the Turin-based club who are looking for a new forward with Dusan Vlahovic’s future uncertain. The 23-year-old’s wages are within their limits (€3.5 million) and he will surely come for an affordable fee of around €40 to €50 million.

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