Manchester United accepted a surprise loan approach from Napoli for defender Axel Tuanzebe, who will now see his loan deal at Aston Villa terminated in favor of the Serie A side.
The former England U21 defender joined Villa over the summer on a loan deal from United. However, the move has not quite gone according to plan with Tuanzebe playing just eight minutes of Premier League football since the appointment of Steven Gerrard. Nevertheless, Gerrard has spoken of his desire to retain the player’s services.
However, according to trust transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have terminated their deal with Villa. And they have reached an agreement with the pursuers of the Serie A title for Tuanzebe to move to the Diego Maradona Stadium for a € 500,000 loan.
The deal does not include the option to make the deal permanent. As such, United still see a future for Tuanzebe at Old Trafford and hope that he will enjoy more playing time in Italy than in Birmingham.
The news will undoubtedly come as a blow to Gerrard, who just on Friday was exposing his hopes of staying with the player.
The departure of Axel Tuanzebe will hurt Gerrard
Speaking of Tuanzebe, he said: “It’s in the hands of Ax and in the hands of Manchester United. We want it here, we would be delighted to have it. We don’t see it just as a loan until the end of the season.
“It’s something we want to explore beyond that. We just hope we get that chance.
“He is a player that we like a lot. We would like him to stay at least until the end of the season. Axel is his own man and will want to make his own decision.
“Obviously, it is owned by Manchester United, which we all have to respect. I hope you want to be a part of this.
“In terms of what he’s given on a daily basis, his leadership and training levels have been really strong and he’s pushing to play.”
Gerrard, however, admitted that United could seize the opportunity to call up the player in January, which they clearly have.
He said: “Most loans, to give you a hint, usually have a recovery option. I don’t think it makes sense to lend to any player in this day and age, especially when you’re going through a pandemic, so that you don’t have a withdrawal option.
“We will see how it materializes in the short term. We want to retain him.
Gerrard vows to transfer to Villa
Gerrard will now turn his attention to strengthening Villa with the window now open.
He is reportedly looking for a new midfielder, while a replacement for Axel Tuanzebe will also be on his mind.
Commenting on the January window, Gerrard added: “The important thing is that we will only make transfers if we think they are the right ones for the team. We want them to move us forward and improve us.
“We will not do them for the simple fact of adding volume.
“We are looking for and evaluating certain players for certain positions in the squad. I won’t reveal too much because my phone will catch fire and start smoking with the agents, which I don’t want.
“Myself, Christian Purslow (CEO) and Johan Lange (athletic director) have spoken every day for the past week. Even more so because I have had a lot of free time thanks to COVID.
“We have had some good and positive meetings and we have identified certain people that we would like to bring.
“If we can make that happen in this window, great. If not, it could be a case of being patient and waiting until summer.
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