Sarri is resigned to losing out on Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly despite the Senegalese intentions of Playing in England. Koulibaly is ‘eager’ to move to the Premier League with Manchester United ready to reignite their bid for the defender. United are expected to enter the market this summer to sign an experienced centre-back to partner Victor Lindelof.
Former manager, Jose Mourinho was furious that the club failed to sign a defender last summer and the Red Devils failed with last-ditch bids for Jerome Boateng and Diego Godin after failing to land Harry Maguire and Toby Alderweireld. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has improved United’s defence since taking charge at Old Trafford but the club remain determined to sign a centre-back and have been encouraged by Koulibaly’s openness to joining.
According to the Evening Standard, Koulibaly is ‘eager’ to move to United and to end his five-year stay in Naples. United were willing to spend close to £100m on Real Madrid ace Raphael Varane last summer but the Frenchman was unwilling to leave the Bernabeu.
Contrary to popular belief, United’s board were willing to bankroll a move for a centre-back last summer but they were unimpressed by Mourinho’s targets Varane was close to joining United in 2012 but Zinedine Zidane, who was a Madrid director at the time, intervened to take him to Spain.
The Frenchman has since developed into one of the finest defenders in Europe and United’s chances of extracting him from the Bernabeu – especially given the two clubs’ contrasting fortunes in recent years – is slim. United were keen to move for Koulibaly in January but Napoli were unwilling to sell in mid-season.
The Red Devils, though, believe the Serie A giants will be more willing to do business in the summer and are confident a fee of around £85m will land them Koulibaly. Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the most demanded players in Europe. His rigid defensive attributes and abilities to handle pressure have made him a hot prospect in European football.
The 27-year-old has been a transfer target for the Red Devils since last summer. After two failed attempts to secure the services of the Napoli star, Manchester United are confident that Napoli would be willing to negotiate a deal in the approaching summer. According to the report, Ed Woodward is willing to make significant funds available in the summer for the signing of a top-notch defender and star man Kalidou Koulibaly tops their wishlist.
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The Swedish international, Victor Lindelof, has settled well in the United defence. However, Solskjaer is yet to know his best centre-back pair after spending one-and-a-half months at the Old Trafford touchline. With Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo all failing to establish themselves alongside Lindelof, the Red Devils are targetting Napoli superstar, Kalidou Koulibaly.