Manchester United had apparently agreed on a €60m deal with Napoli for full-back Faouzi Ghoulam back in 2018.
That’s according to Italian journalist Ciro Venerato, who adds that an injury scuppered the move.
“Napoli had sold Faouzi Ghoulam to Manchester United for an amount equal to €60m,” he told Goal Show, cited by Area Napoli.
“Mendes, on behalf of the Neapolitan company, had blocked another very good full-back for €30m: Grimaldo.
“But then the double deal didn’t go through because Ghoulam was injured.”
Ghoulam joined the Serie A side in 2014 after coming through the Saint-Etienne academy and breaking into the first-team.
Proving to be a stater under several Napoli managers, Ghoulam had no shortage of mentions in the gossip columns in recent years and we’re beginning to wonder if he’ll ever leave the Italian club.
Manchester United have often been linked with him but right now other areas in the team need addressing. There is still room for improvement with Luke Shaw but Brandon Williams has done really well to provide competition in the squad, and I think both players will benefit as a result.
In 2018 rumours did suggest Ghoulam could be United bound, with reports claiming United had made a €45m bid and offered him a €6m salary, as per Calciomercato.
That move never happened and Ghoulam remains at Napoli — although, it is worth noting that injuries have limited his game time so perhaps United avoided a blooper…
This season he has managed just seven appearances.
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