Everton set to rival Manchester United for world-class defender

While Manchester United’s defence this season has looked solid for the most part, there have been some occasions when they have appeared leaky at the back. The 3-3 draw against Everton was a prime example of such an occasion.

Yes, they are keeping clean sheets on a consistent basis. But it is clear that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side can be breached.

As a result, it should not come as a huge surprise that the Red Devils are believed to be after a centre-back in the upcoming summer transfer window. And in this regard, a wide variety of names have been linked with the club.

One such player is Kalidou Koulibaly, who has been considered one of the best defenders in the world for quite some time now and could very well be available in the summer. It does look like that Manchester United will have some tough competition from Everton for his signature though.

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Both Everton and Manchester United reportedly want Kalidou Koulibaly

According to Football Insider, Everton have set their sights on signing Koulibaly this summer and Carlo Ancelotti has made him the club’s top target.

Manchester United are a club who have been linked with Koulibaly in the past, as reported by The Sun. They have been chasing the signature of the 29-year-old Senegal international for years now, with Napoli’s reluctance to let him leave in the past, proving to be a major obstacle.

As reported by The Sun Napoli could be open to considering a bid of around £39 million for Koulibaly in the summer though, which is a massive bargain for a player who was valued at over £100 million not too long ago.

For that kind of a transfer fee, you would have to think that a number of clubs from around Europe would want him. And it will be interesting to see whether the Red Devils can bring him to Old Trafford.

He is not the only defender that they have been linked with in the recent past though. Jules Kounde, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Nikola Milenkovic, Gianluca Mancini, Pau Torres and many others have been linked with a switch to Old Trafford over the course of the past few months.