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Manchester United are reportedly keen on signing SSC Napoli right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo this summer.
The Red Devils capped their season signing in style with a pulsating 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup Final last weekend.
True, it was a rare good performance from Erik ten Haag’s team, who struggled all year in attack, and especially in defense.
Despite the poor form, one of the key components of the team was Diogo Dalot, who played a mammoth 51 games this season.
The Portugal international was recognized for his good performances this year when he was voted Player of the Season, and that’s even more valuable considering he had to play much of the season in his unfavorable left-back role, due to United’s injury problems in defence.
However, since Ten Hag took over the top job at Old Trafford, the club have been linked with a new right-back, and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s future unclear, this is certainly an area INEOS can build on.
The Red Devils have already been linked with right-backs such as Jeremie Frimpong and Denzel Dumfries, but another name has recently emerged.
United were linked with Napoli’s Di Lorenzo in April and it was reported that the club are preparing a summer bid for the player.
TEAMtalk followed up on the story, however, reporting: “Manchester United have a good chance of signing Giovanni Di Lorenzo this summer as he pushes for a move away from Napoli, although Aston Villa will be competition for his services.”
“In a recent interview, Di Lorenzo’s agent said: ‘He doesn’t feel confident so yes, Di Lorenzo is ready to leave, we have informed the club. President (Aurelio) De Laurentiis is open to selling Giovanni in case of (a) good offer.’”
The 30-year-old would bring a winning attitude to the dressing room as he captained Napoli to the 2023 Serie A title and was part of Italy’s Euro 2021 winning squad.
He was a regular in the league season, playing 36 times, scoring one goal and providing an impressive six assists in a challenging season for his side.
The full-back tends to engage in ‘wide scrambles, either receiving the ball at his feet in the half-space or making a half-run, overlapping his wing-mate to receive a through ball. If there’s an opportunity to break into the opposition’s defense, he tends to take advantage of it.”
Di Lorenzo was also described as having “leadership experience” and being “on top”.
With INEOS focused on bringing in younger, hungrier players, the aging Di Lorenzo may not seem like the most obvious choice, but if they can get a relatively cheap bid for the player, he could be a tempting option to challenge Dalot for that right-back position and they offer a lot more in the future from Wan-Bissak.
Moreover, while Aston Villa can offer Champions League football next year, United will be encouraged that they can at least offer the Europa League with potential signings and hope to continue riding the wave of optimism brought on by the spectacular Wembley victory for as long as possible. .
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