Superstar linked with summer move to Manchester United

Reports have emerged claiming that the Napoli superstar is determined to move to Manchester United next summer.

It was not the Red Devils but their noisy neighbours, Manchester City, who were the leading force in the stories concerning Napoli superstar Kalidou Koulibaly last summer.

Mentioning that the Sky Blues had been preparing a new bid for the Senegalese centre-back, a well-established transfer guru in Fabrizio Romano lifted the hopes of their fans. According to him, the personal terms had all been agreed and a summer move was imminent.

Then Pep Guardiola’s side suddenly decided to turn their attention away. Manchester City went on to sign Ruben Dias from Benfica, and the Portuguese centre-back has since been justifying the £65 million transfer fee with his brilliant performances.

Jorginho, a former Napoli midfielder, was on the cusp of joining Manchester City in the summer of 2018. Guardiola admired the midfielder’s abilities and was keen to work alongside him. In the meantime, Chelsea, led by a former Napoli manager in Maurizio Sarri, swooped in and hijacked the deal. Consequently, many claimed that it was the strained relationship with the Italian side that led to the Cityzens pulling the plug on the Koulibaly deal.

Though, City’s chief football operations officer Omar Berrada said to The Athletic that there had never been any negotiations for Koulibaly. Nevertheless, it is only Liverpool and Manchester United that have had reportedly been interested in securing the services of the gigantic defender recently.

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Koulibaly wants Manchester United move

As claimed by Marca (via Express Sport), Koulibaly has made up his mind about joining Manchester United over Liverpool in the upcoming summer transfer window. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been a long-time admirer of the Senegal international.

Koulibaly’s contract will keep him at Napoli until June 2023. And the upcoming transfer window would present the Italian club with the last chance to pocket a substantial transfer fee reported to be around £100 million.

The 29-year-old has made 21 starts for Gennaro Gattuso’s rejuvenated Napoli side. Despite being not regarded as the favourites for the Scudetto this season, they have done very well till now. Therefore, it is unlikely that Koulibaly would leave them in the middle of the season.

Manchester United have been quite solid at the back lately, albeit conceding a scrappy goal in the Premier League game against Fulham. Eric Bailly‘s return to full fitness has been a blessing for the Red Devils.