Pranav Nair
Napoli want £85 million for United target Kalidou Koulibaly
Napoli have placed a price tag of £85million on Manchester United transfer target Kalidou Koulibaly, according to Corrie Dello Sport (h/t Daily Mail).
It will come as a boost for United, who would have had to pay the defender’s £127 million release clause. Having coveted the player for some time now, the significant decrease in his asking price will come as goods news to the Red Devils.
The report goes on to say that, Napoli are unwilling to lower the price any further and will refuse to negotiate for any offer below £85 million.
In spite of being a fan favorite, Koulibaly has had a rocky relationship with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis. The defender has made 233 appearances for the Italians since joining in 2014.
According to the report, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is open to making the Senegalese international the highest-paid player at United as he plans a defensive revamp in the summer.
If United do indeed sign Koulibaly at the quoted price, it will be the second time in two summers that the club will have broken the world record transfer for a defender. Club captain Harry Maguire holds that record following his £80 million move from Leicester last summer.
The Senegalese international has also drawn interest from a number of top clubs around Europe. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Paris Saint Germain are all keen on securing his signature.
The Parisians want the 28-year-old to replace the aging Thiago Silva and possess the biggest threat to United’s hopes of signing him.
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Koulibaly has been nominated four times for the Serie-A team of the year. He also won the Serie-A best defender award in 2018-19.
