Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Matteo Darmian and Luan Rumours

Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian could reportedly still leave the club before the end of the summer transfer window, with Napoli and Inter Milan mentioned as potential destinations, while rivals Liverpool are said to have made the first move for Brazil international Luan.

Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News compiled a list of fringe United players and their outlooks ahead of transfer deadline day, and while the Italy international could still battle for the starting position, the right offer could lead to a sale:

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Antonio Valencia has been preferred at right-back and Darmian hasn’t made the bench since Wayne Rooney’s testimonial against Everton since August 3.

He will hope he can force his way back in given that Valencia, as well as he’s played, isn’t a natural full-back. 

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Darmian impressed early in his United career after making the move to Old Trafford from Torino last summer. His first few matches were promising, but as the team started to struggle, the 26-year-old's performances nose-dived as well.

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

By the end of the season, all of the optimism surrounding Darmian had disappeared, and even a solid showing at Euro 2016 couldn't help him. Antonio Valencia has been excellent at right-back to start the season, and the Italian's opportunities appear limited.

A return to Italy could be an option, and it might even be United's preferred outcome―the club is still linked with AS Monaco star Fabinho, who recently opened the door to a move in an interview with L'Equipe (h/t Alice McKeegan of the Manchester Evening News).

Metro's Chris Winterburn believes United manager Jose Mourinho would love to swap the Monaco man for Darmian in his squad:

Inter could use all the help they can get, as they've again started the Serie A season in poor form. A combination of Darmian and Antonio Candreva would hand the Nerazzurri one of the best right flanks in Italian football.

Napoli have less of a need for another right-back, however, as the excellent Elseid Hysaj—one of the breakout stars of Euro 2016—plays there. Darmian has the versatility to play on the left, however, which could be an option.

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Elsewhere, Brazilian radio station Futebol da Gaucha (h/t the Daily Telegraph's Richard Amofa) reports that Liverpool have presented Gremio with a £30 million offer for Luan, the Summer Olympics revelation who was previously linked with the Red Devils.

Luan emerged as one of the key players behind Brazil's run to the gold medal, battling his way into the starting XI and impressing during every outing. Per Selecao Brasileira, his impact can't be underestimated:

His fine tournament boosted the profile of the 23-year-old, who wasn't spoken of as a transfer target like Olympic team-mates Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus before. Luan has always been regarded as a fine player, but following the 2016 Games, his value is as high as ever.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

While Gremio mostly use Luan as a forward, he's best suited to play as an attacking midfielder, where he can make full use of his creativity and smart runs. He's not a natural goalscorer like Gabigol or Jesus, and his scoring numbers in Brazil aren't nearly as impressive as those of the duo.

Brazil used him to set the lines around the box and feed the ball to Neymar and the other forwards, and it's that kind of role other clubs should consider him for. Gremio are expected to sell Luan either now or in January, with his value at its highest point following the Olympics.