Axel Tuanzebe 's chances of staying at Napoli beyond the end of the season have suffered a blow after the Serie A side reportedly lined up two alternative transfer targets.
The Manchester United loanee decided to leave Aston Villa midway through the season in favour of a move to Italy but a back injury has seen him play just 130 minutes in two months.
And while Tuanzebe is only 24, Napoli look to have made their minds up regarding a potential permanent stay, with the defender entering the final 18 months of his United contract.
Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, say that chiefs at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona are looking at signing Southampton centre-backs Jan Bendarek and Mohammed Salisu this summer.
The report follows claims that Tuanzebe's chances of remaining in Naples were 'marginal', with concerns over his general fitness.
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Unlike the United export, both Bednarek and Salisu are known for their physical attributes, while Tuanzebe's best compliments often come in relation to his ball-playing ability and composure under pressure.
Napoli are believed to admire 25-year-old Bednarek's experience, having played at two major international tournaments with Poland and recorded 122 Premier League appearances for Southampton.
Meanwhile, the Saints signed Salisu from Celta Vigo for £10.9million in the summer of 2020.
Needing a year to settle in on the south coast, the Ghanian has emerged one of this season's breakout stars in the top flight.
No fee for either defender was noted but Napoli are keen to rebuild their team for next term - dubbed 'year zero' - without Tuanzebe.
His career has been a talking point amongst the United fan base ever since his breakthrough under Jose Mourinho five years ago.
Despite rave reviews in the academy and a handful of accomplished performances at first-team level, a combination of injuries and form of more experienced defenders saw his opportunities limited.
After his first loan spell with Villa was cut short due to injury in 2018, the following campaign saw him help Dean Smith 's side to promotion from the Championship, racking up 30 appearances in all competitions.
It looked like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be the man to bring Tuanzebe in the first-team fold for good at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, but the arrival of Harry Maguire pushed him down the pecking order.
And when Raphael Varane arrived two years later, the DR Congo-born Rochdale -raised talent promptly returned to Villa Park, only to play 11 times before the January transfer window.
While newly-appointed manager Steven Gerrard was keen to keep hold of Tuanzebe, a call from Naples had turned his head and United allowed their academy graduate to switch loan clubs.
Unfortunately for Tuanzebe, his time in Italy has been a disappointing one so far, meaning he could be back in Manchester by May to once again sit down and mull over his future.
