Ah, Matteo Darmian. Remember him?
Heavily linked with a move back to Italy virtually from the moment he joined Manchester United three years ago, Darmian somehow remained ’48 hours away from sealing a transfer to Juventus’ for the entirety of the summer transfer window, only for him to stay put at Old Trafford.
With a return to Italy failing to materialise, the 29-year-old has made just two appearances for United this season and seems destined to finally leave the club when the transfer window opens again next month.
There’s a problem though. Talk of a move to Juventus appears to have completely fizzled out, as have the rumours that Inter Milan were also interested. With his chances of securing a move back to his homeland looking slim, TuttoMercatoWeb suggest he may have the option to move to a different Premier League club.
Their report claims that Claudio Ranieri is interested in signing Darmian in a bid to help plug Fulham’s defence. The London club are said to have shown interest in recent days, and could initially take him on a loan deal until the end of the season – possibly with a view to a permanent offer.
Valencia, who United beat to Champions League last 16 qualification with their win over Young Boys last week, are also thought to be keen on the idea of signing him.
Despite this, the former Torino defender is thought to have his heart set on a return to Italy, meaning he is likely to rebuff any offers from either club in the hope that a Serie A club steps forward to agree a deal.
