Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has hit the ground running at Napoli
Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has hit the ground running at Napoli
Napoli have reportedly set their sights on Harry Maguire for a potential free transfer, with the Manchester United defender able to negotiate an exit come January.
Despite not being a sure-fire starter at Old Trafford, his contract is set to run out in the summer, making him eligible to agree to a pre-contract with non-English clubs from the start of the new year.
Antonio Conte, the Napoli manager who observed Maguire's talents during his time managing in England, is said to be considering the move to bring the England international to the Italian top flight.
Napoli are in the hunt for a centre-back and have identified Maguire as a key target - he still commands reputation as one of football's priciest defenders.
The Athletic reports that Conte, already pleased with Scott McTominay who joined from United in the previous transfer window, may go back to his old hunting ground for additional reinforcements - setting the Scottish midfielder up for a reunion with his former Old Trafford teammate.
With Ruben Amorim at the helm, Maguire is operating under his third permanent manager at United but remains less favoured, even with a three-man defence scheme where Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, and Matthijs de Ligt are often the preferred choices.
Nevertheless, after recently featuring in Manchester United's defining derby win, Maguire remains hopeful about his future with the club. He commented: "All the signs are positive at the moment and the chat that I'm having is really positive. I've still got this year to go with an option in their hands.
"I was injured when he [Amorim] first joined, so they're looking after my minutes – I haven't been able to play back-to-back games yet. Hopefully, with 90 minutes under my belt for the first time in two, three months [I can play consecutive matches]."
With his future often the subject of speculation, Maguire, who had attracted interest from clubs including West Ham, has chosen to continue his career in Manchester. British footballers are becoming more open to overseas moves, highlighted by Napoli's current midfield roster featuring both Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour.