Napoli plot to sign second player from Man Utd amid Garnacho interest after McTominay success
Serie A champions Napoli are interested in signing Man Utd centre-back Lisandro Martinez this summer as well as Alejandro Garnacho, according to reports.
The Red Devils had a terrible season in 2024/25 with Ruben Amorim’s side going down as the worst Man Utd side in the Premier League era.
Man Utd finished the season in 15th place on 42 points from their 38 matches with Amorim struggling to improve performances and results since
Amorim is looking for a serious revamp of his squad if he’s to improve on the season just gone with Man Utd already committing £62.5m of their budget to Matheus Cunha, who signed from Wolves last week.
It seems as though Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo is their next top target and the Red Devils will also need to recoup some funds this summer.
Man Utd are hopeing they can get big fees for players like Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony this summer, while some starters could also be sold.
And now there are rumours that Martinez – who joined Man Utd from Ajax in a deal worth £55m in 2022 – is another player attracting interest from Serie A side Napoli.
The Argentina international picked up a knee injury at the beginning of February and was expected to spend between six and nine months on the sidelines.
But four months later and Manchester Evening News report that he could potentially be ready for around the start of the new Premier League season if he continues his progression.
The MEN wrote recently: ‘The beginning of August could be a possible return date for Martinez, though, at least to be working on grass, which suggests he could be available for selection shortly after the new season begins.’
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Napoli paid Man Utd £25m for Scott McTominay last summer in one of the bargains of the season with the Scotland international providing 12 goals and four assists from midfield as Antonio Conte’s side won the Scudetto.
Garnacho, who will be leaving Old Trafford this summer, has been heavily linked with a move to Napoli after strong interest in the January transfer window.
And now Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) insists that Napoli are interested in Martinez as they look for a new centre-back with the Argentina international ‘followed’ and ‘liked’ by the Serie A champions.
Former Scotland international Don Hutchison insists Napoli midfielder McTominay is “massively underrated” and “should be getting double figures every season”.
Hutchison said: “He’s scored more Serie A goals than Denis Law now, breaking his record at the weekend.
“He’s playing in his best position. The biggest compliment is that his manager, especially someone like Antonio Conte, who’s normally been quite rigid in his playing style, he’s gone from a back three to a back four to accommodate Scott McTominay. I mean, that’s a massive compliment when a manager changes your complete style and philosophy for one player.
“So [he is] massively underrated. Steve Clarke puts him in his best position for Scotland. That’s why he scores goals when he’s playing for the national side. Conte’s doing the same thing and now what you’ve got is you’ve got a No.8, No.10 that’s got freedom to get in the box and score goals.
“That’s what he’s good at. He’s not a No. 6. He’s not a deep-lying midfield player. He can play at eight, of course, he can do it, but he needs the license to go forward. He’s one of those sorts of players where you build a side around him because he will get and he should be getting double figures every season.”
