Manchester United made €30 million transfer bid for centre-back

A new centre-back appears to be near the top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s summer wish list at this point of time. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof formed quite a formidable partnership in the heart of Manchester United’s defence last season, but there is a feeling that that is an area where the club can improve even further.

One man who has been heavily linked with an Old Trafford switch in recent times is Raphael Varane. The 28-year-old has a year left on his current deal with Real Madrid and it looks like he could be on his way out of the club this summer.

In recent weeks, it does appear that the Red Devils have emerged as the favourites for the French World Cup winner’s signature, despite there being links with several other clubs as well.

But despite that, it looks like they have their eyes on other centre-backs as well. As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), Manchester United saw an opening €30 million transfer bid for Kalidou Koulibaly rejected.

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Manchester United made a transfer bid for Koulibaly

Koulibaly has been one of the most highly-rated defenders in Europe for a long while now and has been linked with a move away from Napoli for years. But a move has never quite materialised. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has made 283 appearances for the Italian side through the course of his career and his current contract with them runs till the summer of 2023.

Now 30 years of age, he has been linked with a summer transfer move once again. And it remains to be seen if any club can sign him this time around.

On the other hand, Varane very much seems to be the Red Devils’ top transfer target this summer when it comes to the centre-back position. It is worth pointing out though that the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the French international.