Man Utd and Napoli swap deal for Osimhen is OFF

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 4 Dec 2024 10:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United were discussing a potential swap deal with Napoli that would have seen Joshua Zirkzee and Victor Osimhen change clubs, but the deal is now off.

That is according to Kiss Kiss Napoli journalist Paolo Del Genio, who reports that this potential exchange is dead in the water and will not happen either in January or at the end of the season.

There have been various reports in recent weeks that Man Utd and Napoli were in talks to swap their strikers in order to fill a need in their striking department.

United plan to sign a top-class number nine in 2025. Viktor Gyokeres is the favoured target of new manager Ruben Amorim having worked together with the Swede at Sporting Lisbon. However, it is understood that a transfer will not be easy, as well as very expensive.

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Napoli, meanwhile, want another striker to give Romelu Lukaku a helping hand. Lukaku has had a mixed time of things at the Stadio Maradona since arriving in the summer.

Any potential transfer would have involved United paying a significant sum of money in addition to handing over Zirkzee for Osimhen.

A swap in January was always going be difficult to do as Osimhen is currently on loan at Galatasaray where he is likely to end the season.

Del Genio says, though, that we can forget this swap deal happening.

Zirkzee flops at Man Utd

While Osimhen is likely to stay at Galatasaray on loan until the end of the season, Zirkzee's situation in January is a little more complex.

Zirkzee could potentially be loaned out in January for six months, with Juventus interested in bringing him back to Serie A.

The 23-year-old Zirkzee was one of the standout players in Serie A last season at Bologna, and he was often compared to former Milan and Barcelona star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But he is yet to show that form at Old Trafford after joining this past summer in a €42.5 million move.

The striker scored on his Premier League debut against Fulham but he has struggled badly since then.

He did score a double on Sunday, though, in United's 4-0 win over Everton which has led to claims he could now be given more chances by new manager Ruben Amorim.