According to a recent report by the Sun, Manchester United are hell-bent on securing the services of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli in the summer regardless of who becomes their permanent manager next season. The same report has also claimed that the Red Devils are desperate to bring the Senegalese centre-back to Old Trafford in order to bolster their defensive options significantly for the coming years.
The Sun has also revealed that the Serie A defender is currently being valued in the region of £90m even though the Naples based club wants to keep him for the long-run. In an interview conducted earlier his month, as mentioned in the Sun, Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti said, “Koulibaly is happy in Naples, he’s upset like others [at recent racism], but it will not be a trigger for a goodbye.
“He never showed it, he wants to stay in Naples and in Italy, a country he likes very much.”
The Italian manager’s words indicate that the Serie A side is willing to play hard-ball to retain Koulibaly’s services for the time being. They are under no pressure to sell so Ed Woodward and co. will need to work tirelessly and find a way to agree on a fee with Napoli before any potential transfer can take place.
The Red Devils must recruit a fresh face in defence to improve their poor defensive record in the Premier League this season and Koulibaly fits the bill perfectly.
However, Man United runs the risk of being dragged into a battle with other clubs if they do indeed wait until the summer to pursue Koulibaly as he is one of the most sought after centre-halves in European football.
The Senegalese international is a strong, athletic and a powerful defender who can play the ball out from the back. He has already put in some commanding displays at the San Paolo Stadium during the course of this campaign. Koulibaly has made 26 appearances for Napoli this term, with an average of 2 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game across all competitions.
Even if the Reds of Manchester have to splash the cash to recruit Koulibaly for £90m, it might be a deal worth pursuing as the 27-year-old talent is one of the best defenders in world football which is exactly what the doctor ordered at Old Trafford next summer.
