Club owner puts huge £90m price tag on Manchester United target

Manchester United will have to spend big this summer to gain his services.

There is a saying that states “The best defence is a good offence”. In modern-day football, that very slogan has a vast impact. Some of the best managers in the world football follow the motto, and it is now proven that teams, with a vulnerable defence, always run towards the abyss.

The general concern is if you want to win matches, you need to have a strong defence. Therefore, some top managers, such as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, have some of the top defenders, such as Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City) and Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), of the current generation.

If we take a look at Manchester United, they have had seen some of the best centre-backs in Europe tussling with the best finishers for one mere round-shaped item. The partnership of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic was one the fans at the Stretford End still cherish and rave about.

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They were the last to give United what the Mancunians have been missing since – the solidity of the back-line. Many have come and gone but no one has been able to provide the reliability that could be observed with bare eyes in Ferdinand-Vidic partnership.

With club’s former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm, the plan to restore the stability that once made Manchester United’s defence unsurmountable is well on the place. And the last summer’s signings of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire are the notable heralds of the club’s intentions.

Reports suggest United could make a new centre-back signing this summer, with the name of Napoli superstar defender Kalidou Koulibaly touted heavily. Koulibaly has been on United’s radar for some time now.

In Serie A 2019-20 campaign, despite dealing with a thigh problem, the Senegalese defender has managed to make15 appearances for Napoli, making 44 tackles across Italy’s top division with an eye-catching passing accuracy of 90%. He could be a valuable addition to the United side.

However, should they want to lure him from San Paolo, a huge amount of transfer fee must be paid, according to Napoli’s chief Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Speaking on his latest interview, De Laurentiis claimed,

"“If City or United or PSG with €100m (£90m) showed up, I would think about it [selling Koulibaly] and it is probable that they [the player] would leave, always if their will was to leave.“I don’t even consider an offer of €60m (£55m).“I am solid, if I wanted to win the Scudetto at any cost today I would find myself with three, four hundred million debts.“I look around and see companies at 500, 600 million, less a billion. I don’t owe anyone a s***.”"

Amidst the ongoing financial conundrum, it is very unlikely that any team would spend that amount of money on one target; especially for United as the club has other voids to fill. It is widely considered that signing a centre-back is not a primary priority for Solskjaer and co.

Hence, don’t be surprised should they move out of the deal in the coming weeks.

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Do you honestly think Manchester United need to sign a new centre-back this summer?