Manchester United are involved in talks with Serie A champions Juventus over the sale of Italian full-back Matteo Darmian.
Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian is on his way out of the club, as negotiations over a transfer to Juventus are well underway, according to reports from ESPN.
The Italian champions are keen on taking the defender back to his homeland, three years after he signed for Manchester United, although the two parties are yet to agree a transfer fee.
Darmian arrived at the Old Trafford from Torino back in the summer of 2015 for a fee of £12.7 million and had established himself as an integral part of the team under then manager Louis van Gaal. However, ever since Jose Mourinho took over the reins at the club in 2016, the 28-year old has found game time hard to come by.
Till date, the Italy international has made 85 appearances for the Premier League giants, scoring a solitary goal and setting up four more for his teammates. Of his 85 appearances, 39 came in his debut campaign while only 46 have come in the two years since Jose was appointed. In the 2017/18 campaign, the 28-year old featured 17 times across all competitions, laying on two assists in the process.
It is understood that Mourinho sees Darmian as a useful squad player and wants to keep him at the club, but the Italian international is keen on securing a return to his homeland having grown frustrated at the lack of playing time coming his way. And Juventus, who have been monitoring his situation for a while now, want to sign him but are unwilling to match United’s valuation of the player.
The Italian champions will be losing veteran right-back Stephan Lichsteiner following the expiry of his contract this summer, with a move to Arsenal being mooted. And Massimiliano Allegri’s side see Darmian as a like-for-like replacement for the 34-year old Switzerland international.
Manchester United are in a strong negotiating position though, given the player’s contract with the club runs till the summer of 2020. However, with the Red Devils poised to sign FC Porto full-back Diogo Dalot in a £17.4 million deal in the coming days, they might be willing to change their stance over the transfer fee for Darmian.
All in all, the deal is a win-win situation for all parties involved, with Darmian moving to a club where he will be likely to get more playing time, while Juventus will be replacing one of their most experienced players with a proven performer in Italy.
Manchester United too, will be recouping a large share of the transfer fee they spent on the 28-year old three years ago.
