Man Utd miss out on £41m target again as 'agreement reached' in boost for Scott McTominay

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Manchester United may be on the verge of losing out on a player who has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford. And the player in question could be set to join forces with ex-United star Scott McTominay , who left the Red Devils almost two years ago.

McTominay was sold by United to Napoli in the summer of 2024 for a cool £26.4million (€30.5 million), and he's been thriving at the Serie A giants since leaving Old Trafford.

The Scotland international played a key role in Napoli's Serie A title win last season, netting 21 goals in 63 appearances since his arrival, including eight this season.

Despite already having McTominay on their books, Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes is now in their sights.

The report even suggests that Napoli have already struck a deal with Gomes for a move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but they're yet to agree a fee with Wolves for the Brazilian international who is reportedly valued at around £41million.

United have previously been associated with a move for Gomes, with rumours dating back to 2022 when the midfielder was still at Flamengo.

Gomes made the switch to the Premier League in 2023, opting to sign for Wolves over United, and has been linked with a move to Old Trafford ever since last summer.

However, according to the latest speculation from Italy, it appears that Napoli are leading the race to sign Gomes, which would see McTominay team up with the Brazilian midfielder.

Recent reports have suggested that McTominay might make a return to United, though Napoli's sporting director Giovanni Manna has refuted these claims.

When quizzed about Napoli's transfer strategy for January, Manna emphasised McTominay's significance to the squad.

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"We're waiting for [Frank] Anguissa, who is an important player, to come back," Manna said. "We've missed him a lot. McTominay is showing that he can be decisive in that role. The coach will make his evaluations."

McTominay was recently the star for Napoli as he scored both goals for his club in the 2-2 draw with Inter Milan in Serie A at the weekend.

The result leaves Antonio Conte's side in fourth place in the Italian top flight and four points adrift of leaders Inter, with AC Milan and Juventus also ahead of them in the table.

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