Antonio Conte wants Napoli to sign £36.5m Man Utd star after Scott McTominay success

Antonio Conte wants Napoli to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United after Scott McTominay’s successful start, according to reports.

Zirkzee only arrived at Old Trafford in July, joining from Bologna in a deal worth £36.5m, but there is already speculation over his future at United.

Juventus have been linked with Zirkzee and he has now attracted interest from another Italian club as Napoli consider a move for the Dutchman.

According to Italian outlet Il Mattino, Conte has given the ‘green light’ for Napoli to enter the race to sign Zirkzee from United.

They add that Zirkzee himself would be interested in a return to Serie A in the upcoming January transfer window.

Conte has long been a fan of Zirkzee and wanted to sign him at Napoli this summer before he ended up at United instead.

Zirkzee remains a target for Napoli, though, who are particularly keen on signing a second United player after McTominay’s glowing start in Naples.

Napoli signed Scotland international midfielder McTominay from United in a deal worth around £25m in August.

He has quickly become a fan favourite, conjuring up five goal involvements across 12 Italian top-flight games so far this season.

McTominay, 28, scored the only goal of the match to help Napoli beat Torino earlier this month.

‘I try to pick the best players,’ Conte recently said when asked about Napoli’s decision to sign McTominay.

‘We did well with Scott because he was not a starter at Manchester United, but I already knew him very well.

‘We worked under the radar to bring him here. Of course everyone is eager to prove themselves and I am glad that we got it right choosing McTominay.’