Marouane Fellaini in talks with Napoli as he moves closer to switch away from Man Utd

• Fellaini has met with representatives from Napoli over potential move
• New boss Louis van Gaal does not want the midfielder at Old Trafford
• Napoli coach Rafa Benitez believes the Belgian could be an asset
• Van Gaal unhappy with aspects of Manchester United's lengthy US Tour
  

By Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail

Published: 17:31 EDT, 28 July 2014 | Updated: 03:36 EDT, 29 July 2014

Marouane Fellaini is being offered the chance by Italian club Napoli to end his Manchester United nightmare.

Sportsmail reported last month that Fellaini is not wanted by new United manager Louis van Gaal.

Now it is understood that United and Napoli have begin tentative negotiations over the transfer of a player who never settled to life under David Moyes at Old Trafford last season.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Marouane Fellaini say he has nothing to prove to anyone

Return: Marouane Fellaini returned to Man United training on Monday, but he may not be there for long...

In talks: The midfielder is reportedly in discussions with Napoli over a potential switch to Serie A

Fellaini's agent denied suggestions on Monday night there was a meeting between the player and Napoli's technical director Riccardo Bigon at the Sheraton Hotel at Brussels Airport over the weekend.

However Fellaini is aware of Napoli's interest and that the club's manager Rafael Benitez believes he can turn him back in to the buccaneering forward player he was when he was at Everton and wants to utilise his physical presence. 

Fellaini, for his part, has accepted that Van Gaal doesn't want him and is open to the move.

However, United want a cash sale for a player who cost £27.5m while Napoli wish to explore the possibility of a loan. That would probably only be acceptable to United if Napoli could fund all of Fellaini's £100,000-a-week wage packet.

On Monday, the player was back in Manchester after his efforts with Belgium in the World Cup.

Because his country reached the last eight of the tournament, he was not required to join United's tour of America and was back at Carrington with compatriot Adnan Januzaj for physical testing on Monday.

Off the pace: Fellaini struggled badly throughout his debut season at Old Trafford

Unwanted: Louis van Gaal is hoping to offload Fellaini before the start of the new campaign

Van Gaal - whose team face Inter Milan in Washington on Tuesday night - told United chief executive Ed Woodward early in the summer that he didn't see Fellaini as a United player and wanted him to sell him.

It is understood that the future looks similarly bleak for Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa and other bit-part players Anderson, Wilfried Zaha and Nani.

Meanwhile, Van Gaal goes into the game at Washington's FedEx Field knowing that victory over the Italian side would leave United on the verge of a place in next week's International Champions Cup Final in Miami.

This would mean extending a two-and-half week tour by an extra three days, something that Van Gaal will have mixed views about.

With United already in talks with promoters about an offer to return to the US next summer to play games in New York, Dallas and Chicago, Van Gaal has told the club he wishes things to be done differently.

On Tour: Manchester United are currently away in the US on a pre-season schedule

Captain for the day: Midfielder Tom Cleverley, derided by some United fans, skippered the side against Roma

The Dutch veteran wants the tour to be a maximum of two weeks long and wants a central US training base that United can travel to and from to play game elsewhere.

It has been the distance between hotels, training grounds and stadia that have infuriated Van Gaal on this tour and he wants assurances it won't happen again.

FedEx Field, for example, is 90 minutes away from United's central Washington Hotel here while Saturday's game against Real Madrid will be played in Ann Arbor, 50 miles away from United's base in Detroit.