Rafa Benitez Confirms Napoli Interest in Manchester United Midfielder Marouane Fellaini

Napoli manager Rafa Benitez has suggested the club are keen to sign Marouane Fellaini from Manchester United but will wait for Louis van Gaal's decision on the player before making a move.

United are reportedly ready to listen to offers for the Belgian international after a disastrous first season at Old Trafford following his £27.5m move from Everton last year.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed last week Fellaini is one of a number of players the club are considering to strengthen their midfield following the departure of Valon Behrami.

But former Liverpool manager Benitez insists the club will wait until they are given the green light by van Gaal before entering discussions over a move for the former Everton midfielder.

"Fellaini is a Manchester United player, it does not depend on us, but it depends on them," Benitez was quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.

"He is a great player, but he is at another team. It appears he is waiting for van Gaal. We will have to wait. Is he the right player? We have players that work very well, whilst it also depends on who leaves. It is not easy to name names.

"What features in a midfielder am I after? Players who have the mindset to win every game, then we can start to talk about the technical quality.

"With our same mentality, but with a little more quality."

Following the conclusion of United's pre-season tour of the United States – which culminated in a 3-1 win over Liverpool on Monday – van Gaal is expected to make the final assessments of his squad in the coming days.

Napoli feel the much-maligned Fellaini will become available with De Laurentiis a fan of the Belgian.

He told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli: "Fellaini is one of the names that we are considering to strengthen our midfield, but it is not the only one.

"His hair could be in line with the Neapolitan style!"