According to a recent report by La Republicca, Manchester United have pipped ahead of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the chase to acquire the services of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli this summer. With the Naples-based club looking likely to miss out on UEFA Champions League football next season, the Senegalese centre-back’s €6m per season salary could become unsustainable for the Serie A club which might open the door for him to seal a move away from Italy during the summer transfer period (via La Republicca).
Koulibaly’s Impressive Form Despite Recent Injury Struggles
The 28-year-old has enjoyed another solid campaign at the San Paolo Stadium despite his team’s struggles in the race to secure a top 4 place so far. Even though multiple injuries have hampered his progress at Naples, he deserves a lot of praise for putting in a series of dominant displays at the heart of the Napoli backline. Koulibaly has appeared in 21 matches for the Italian outfit this term, receiving a total of 1757 minutes of playing time on all fronts.
To his credit, the Senegal international has performed at a high level whenever he has featured for Gennaro Gattuso’s side as evidenced by his average of 2.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per game in the Serie A and the Champions League this season (stats via whoscored). His stats highlight how consistent he has been for the Italian giants even when things have not gone according to plan for him during this campaign.
The ex-FC Metz defender is the current skipper of the Senegalese national side, having earned 33 senior caps while registering one goal for his country thus far. The France-born talent led his nation to a second-place finish in the last edition of the African Cup of Nations. He will be expected to play a similar role when the prestigious competition kicks off again next year.
What Will The Senegal International Bring To Old Trafford?
Koulibaly can use his incredible upper-body strength to outmuscle the opposition and command his own penalty box with authority and confidence, which makes him such a valuable asset at Gattuso’s disposal. Due to his aerial prowess, he can also be a potent goal-threat from set-pieces. However, there is no hiding from the fact that his recent injury record will be a cause for concern for any of his potential suitors, including the Red Devils.
Even then, the pros outweigh the cons of recruiting him, so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be wise to orchestrate a move to bring him to the Theatre of Dreams this summer. The Senegalese powerhouse is renowned for making well-times tackles that allow him to win possession back for his side. He also has the pace and the power to make recovering runs at the back and is not shy about putting his body on the line when attempting to block a goal-bound attempt from the opposition.
The possibility of Koulibaly striking up a dominant defensive partnership with Harry Maguire will be a mouth-watering for anyone associated with the Mancunian club. He will serve as an upgrade over Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, so it makes a lot of sense for the Red Devils to launch a big-money offer for his services in this off-season.
Koulibaly can read the danger quickly, which explains why he has averaged over three clearances in every 90 minutes of domestic and European football this season. He will not only add some much-needed steel and pace to the Man United defence but also enhance the overall quality of their first-team. Furthermore, the Senegalese centre-half will allow Solskjaer to play a more expansive brand of football at Old Trafford next season as he can pass the ball accurately out from the back after completing 89.3% of his attempted passes in the Serie A this term (stats via whoscored).
