George Baker
Transfer News: Manchester United suffer blow in Kalidou Koulibaly pursuit
According to transfer news from Express, Manchester United have received a blow in their pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly as the Senegalese defender could favour a move to La Liga amidst interest from Barcelona.
Since joining Napoli in the summer of 2014, Koulibaly has gone on to establish himself as one of the top centre-backs in Europe. Naturally, the defender has been linked with a move to Manchester United a number of times in the past as well.
Koulibaly has a contract with Napoli that runs until 2023. That means they don’t necessarily need to cash in on him soon. However, like most clubs, the pandemic has hit Napoli rather badly and they might just have to let go of one of their more valuable assets like Koulibaly on the cheap.
It has been said that Manchester United are joined by three other clubs in the race for Koulibaly. Manchester City can be ruled out after signing Ruben Dias last summer.
Whether or not Juventus will go after the Senegal man is unknown but it is Barcelona who are the biggest threat in the race for him. In the event that Barcelona show concrete interest in the defender, it is likely that he will prefer a move to La Liga.
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This development is likely to come as a blow for Manchester United, who are in the market for a top-class centre-back to partner captain Harry Maguire.
At 29, Koulibaly is in his prime years and has years of experience at the highest level, which would have made him a fine addition. But it seems like Barcelona have the upper hand in the race to sign the centre-back.
