Rafa Benitez has said his attempts to take Marouane Fellaini to Napoli depend on whether Manchester United want to keep the midfielder.
United boss Louis van Gaal stated that he would inform his players after their tour of the United States if they are surplus to requirements this season.
And while Belgium international Fellaini, who was granted time off after the World Cup, did not feature in the International Champions Cup, his future has been the subject of speculation.
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis admitted last week that the Serie A club are interested in Fellaini and Benitez is hopeful a deal can be agreed soon.
He told the Italian media: "It's hard not to talk about the transfer market -- names keep cropping up constantly. For Fellaini, it's all down to United, not us.
"In midfield, we're looking for a player with the right winning mentality. If Fellaini arrives immediately then there won't be any problem getting him used to our system.
"I have to draw up my list of players for the Champions League so we don't have much time. He's not been playing for United so we've just got to wait and be respectful.
"We'll wait until they get back to Europe and then maybe you journalists can change your headlines."
Fellaini joined United from Everton for 27.5 million pounds in September last year, but he endured a difficult debut year at Old Trafford.
He failed to score and lost his place in the team before new manager Van Gaal signed another central midfielder, Ander Herrera, this summer.
ESPN FC's Italy correspondent, Ben Gladwell, contributed to this report.