The Serie A giants have all but confirmed a deal to sign DR Congo-born star Axel Tuanzebe on loan.
Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has joined Napoli on loan until the end of the season.
The 24-year-old completed a medical in Naples on Thursday and Napoli have now deposited his contract in the Lega Calcio system as a ‘temporary’ transfer agreement.
Tuanzebe joins the Italian side after struggling for game time in his third loan spell at Aston Villa, featuring in only nine of the club’s 18 games in the Premier League this season.
In fact, he played just eight minutes of football after Steven Gerrard replaced Dean Smith as the club’s manager on November 11.
Napoli will pay Manchester United in the region of €500,000 to sign Tuanzebe for the rest of the season. The fee could increase later in the year due to performance-related clauses. However, they don’t have an option to make the deal permanent.
Tuanzebe will replace Kostas Manolas, who rejoined Olympiacos last month and help provide cover for the Africa Cup of Nations-bound Sengalese star Kalidou Koulibaly.
Napoli, who drew 1-1 with Juventus on Thursday, return to action on Sunday at home to Sampdoria.