Manchester United are reportedly demanding a €20 million transfer fee to offload Matteo Darmian, who is a target for Juventus and three other Italian clubs.
Manchester United have upped their asking price for wantaway full-back Matteo Darmian from from €18 million to €20 million, as per reports from TransferMarketWeb.com.
Darmian arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 in a £12.7 million move from Torino and has made 85 appearances in three seasons at the club, scoring once. However, the 28-year old has failed to establish himself as a starter in manager Jose Mourinho’s setup over the past couple of seasons.
The full-back started just five Premier League games last season and is behind club veterans Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in the pecking order. The recent arrival of Diogo Dalot from FC Porto will only push him further down the list and as a result, he is likely to be sold this summer.
The Italian international is wanted by a number of clubs in Italy, with the likes of Juventus, Inter Milan, AS Roma and Napoli all being credited with interest over the past few months. Darmian himself revealed that he would be open to a move away from Manchester United this summer, with a return to his homeland very much on the cards.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this month, the former Torino man said, “United are the top, but it’s only normal that I want to be a protagonist. Juve, Inter, Napoli or somebody else — it’s not for me to say. If it were to happen, I would go for the best solution. The doors are open.”
Juventus are in the market for a new full-back this summer, after veteran defender Stephan Lichtsteiner moved to Arsenal post the expiry of his contract.
Manchester United were understood to be in negotiations with the Serie A champions over Darmian’s transfer, despite the Bianconeri completing the signing of Joao Cancelo from Valencia. Reports last week claimed that the 20-time English champions were keen on landing striker Mario Mandzukic as part of a deal that would see the 28-year old move the other way.
Roma too have been long-time admirers of the 36-time capped Italy international and have a vacancy in the right-back position, having loaned out Bruno Peres to Sao Paulo till the end of next year. Having missed out on signing Cancelo, Inter Milan see Darmian as a viable replacement, ahead of their big return to the UEFA Champions League this season.
Napoli’s interest in the Italian stems from the fact that the future of their first-choice right-back Elseid Hysaj is far from secure, with Premier League giants Chelsea understood to be lining up a summer move for the 24-year old Albanian international.
Darmian entered the final year of his contract with Manchester United earlier this month. And given the player’s wish to leave, combined with the fact that the club have already secured a replacement in Dalot, a sale is very much guaranteed this summer. However, it remains to be seen if any of the interested parties are willing to match the Mancunians’ demand of €20 million for the Italian.
