Pranav Nair
Manchester United given a boost in Kalidou Koulibaly chase
According to the Mirror, Manchester United have been given a boost in their chase of Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly.
This comes following Gennaro Gattuso’s comments that he expects to retain only 70-80% of his players for next season.
“This is a strong team but I think that only 70-80% of the players will stay with us.”
The Senegalese international has been on United’s radar for some time now. With the club looking to bring in a centre-half, Gattuso’s comments will come as a godsend to the Red Devils.
The major hindrance will be the defender’s massive asking fee. It will take more than the record £80million we spent on Harry Maguire last summer.
Napoli are open to selling the defender. The same was confirmed by club president Aurelio De Laurentiis. He is however not willing to negotiate and has set a whopping £90million asking price.
United have not been immune to the financial setback brought about by the coronavirus. This has prompted Ed Woodward to suggest that the club will not be spending upwards of £70m on an individual deal. (h/t Standard)
There is no doubt a Koulibaly-Maguire partnership will look daunting, at least on paper. But given that the Senegalese will soon be 29, one can understand if United hesitate in their efforts.
Victor Lindelof has improved admirably of late but is still prone to the odd error. It could well turn out to be the difference when it comes to close matches against the top teams.
The United defence has continued to improve, but it would be amiss to suggest that Lindelof is not the weakest chink in that armour.
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Koulibaly is one of Napoli’s most sellable assets. Whether United are prepared to pay his asking price remains to be seen.
