The truth behind the rumors of Manchester United re-signing McTominay revealed! The Red Devils don’t mind being involved in the speculation, similar to the situation with Aoki.

The Italian website "Tutto Mercato Web" reports that Manchester United is interested in buying back Scott McTominay from Napoli. If any fans once believed this rumor, Sir Alex would caution: "Even if Italians say it’s pasta, I want to see what’s in the sauce!"

Italian media say Manchester United is keen to work with McTominay again and is favored in the summer transfer race. While McTominay is happy at Napoli, he wants to return to the Premier League to prove his critics wrong. The report also quotes Napoli’s global business development officer Leonardo Giammarioli, who admitted earlier this month that he is concerned about losing McTominay.

Giammarioli mentioned that if a high offer comes this summer, McTominay might leave the club. He compared this to the Bundesliga situation where Stuttgart sold Nick Woltemade, who joined Premier League side Newcastle United.

“Of course, I’m worried, but ultimately, especially with Scott (McTominay), he’s a great person. If we can see him progress in a few years, we’ll be happy. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but he deserves such an opportunity,” said Giammarioli. “Look at Stuttgart; they wanted to keep Woltemade, but when Newcastle offered £65 million, if the player wants to leave and the money is that tempting, the club can’t do much. It’s also hard for Italian clubs to refuse because Serie A revenues continue to decline.”

This isn’t the first time McTominay has been linked with transfer rumors. Late last year, English media reported interest from Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham. Premier League transfer expert Fraser Fletcher said McTominay desires a return to England, but only if the “right project” is in place.

McTominay’s return to Manchester United is not the right fit for either party. Under Ruben Amorim’s coaching, McTominay might have suited a 3-4-3 midfield role, but if United plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, McTominay has no place unless Bruno Fernandes is moved on.

Manchester United does not need another No. 10 or No. 8 player, especially since Napoli might demand €80 million to sell McTominay. The Red Devils do not have a low buy-back clause for him; when the club sold him for €30 million, they only retained a 10% sell-on clause.

Besides transfer rumors, there is another claim that McTominay plans to extend his contract with Napoli until 2031, and the rumors are a tactic by his agent to negotiate better terms. From Manchester United’s perspective, they prefer McTominay to transfer rather than stay.

Therefore, the Red Devils do not mind rumors involving McTominay now, as it could help him move for a higher fee to another club, which benefits Manchester United. A similar case happened with Marseille forward Mason Greenwood; the club cannot bring back Aoki, but if he transfers, United gets 50% of the fee, so they are happy to “inflate the price.”

After Marseille’s Champions League exit, the club has been unstable: coach De Zerbi was sacked, the club president resigned, and the sporting director and club legend Benatia, rumored to have conflicts with Greenwood, also left. L’Equipe reported that Benatia and Aoki have long ignored each other, with Benatia criticizing Aoki’s performance on and off the pitch. Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed Manchester United is closely monitoring Marseille’s situation, not to buy back Aoki, but to see if he might transfer.

Manchester United hopes to generate more income this summer by selling players to rebuild their squad. Loaned players like Rashford and Hojlund are assets that Sir Jim Ratcliffe could potentially profit from.

McTominay’s Napoli teammate Hojlund has a €44 million buyout clause that becomes mandatory if the club qualifies for the Champions League. Barcelona holds an option to buy Rashford for €30 million but can choose not to without penalty.

Barcelona’s sporting director Deco confirmed last week: “Rashford is purely on loan, and we have an option. Are we planning to keep him long-term? Of course, I think it hasn’t been easy for him here. At Manchester United, he faced huge pressure but maintained a high level. Then he had a great half-season loan at Aston Villa. In fact, Villa wanted to keep him—I know because I spoke with them—but Rashford only wanted to join Barcelona, which shows a great attitude.”

Deco praised Rashford’s decision to take a significant pay cut to join Barcelona: “We successfully negotiated the loan deal, and he was willing to reduce his salary to make the move happen, which shows how much he wants to join. We’re very happy about that; he is a player who can contribute greatly. Who will we sign in the summer? We don’t need to obsess over specific names because the team is performing well. We have Ferran Torres and Rashford; we will consider our options. Lewandowski has been one of the best No. 9s in the last decade; no one matches his skill, stats, and performance right now. Barcelona needs to find a striker with technical ability, who works well with teammates and solves problems.”