Manchester United have made a surprise offer for a Serie A superstar to become their first summer signing.
The Red Devils are pushing to qualify for the Champions League this season but a huge summer lies ahead. It’ll be the first with INEOS billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment, with the lifelong fan having installed his own backroom team to fix the club off the field.
Plenty of stars are expected to depart, while there may be shock signings on the cards as Manchester United look to overhaul a tired squad.
Italian outlet Il Mattino are reporting that Napoli star Giovanni Di Lorenzo has “offers on the table” from both United and Aston Villa, as both sides target a right-back.
The 30-year-old has signed a new contract of late but likely wouldn’t be a costly option to improve a defence. Napoli often drive a hard bargain but would likely let Di Lorenzo leave for half of what other right-back targets could cost United.
Villa have opted for centre-back Ezri Konsa at full-back for much of this season, while United have relied on Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, neither of whom have sufficiently locked down the position to the point where their future looks certain.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Di Lorenzo would be a solid option at right-back who could provide quality in the short-term – but reports of offers having already been made may be a little premature, with the Red Devils still finalising their recruitment team.
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Di Lorenzo is valued at €18 million by Transfermarkt.