Kalidou Koulibaly has established himself as one of the best defenders in the World at Napoli. The Senegalese defender has been an epitome of strength and speed at the back. He has been at the heart of everything Napoli have achieved in the last 3 years.
But, with the corona pandemic and problems in the club administration, the defender looks set to leave Napoli, this summer. Several clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, and PSG have been fighting it out to get the services of Koulibaly. It is also reported that Manchester United had a £90m bid turned down last year.
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Manchester United since then, have gone out and brought Harry Maguire, for a World-record fee of £80m. But, United are still in the look-out of a world-class defender to complete the squad overhaul. United face tough competition from their noisy neighbours though as they look to replace Vincent Kompany.
Manchester City didn’t replace Kompany last summer and it has surely come back to haunt them. They sit comfortably second in the Premier League but are 23 points behind leaders Liverpool. The Cityzens lead the race to Koulibaly this season, who is valued at about £70m this transfer window.
This might not be music to the ears for Manchester United, who are still interested for Koulibaly’s services. A centre back pairing of Maguire and Koulibaly would seem to be a perfect base for the United side. Maguire and Koulibaly would complement each other well, as both are strong in the air, and Koulibaly is very quick.
Manchester United is no short of defenders, with Lindelof, Bailly and Tuanzebe all in contention. Lindelof has been Maguire’s partner for most of the games, but the Swedish defender lacks aerial prowess. Bailly should be an ideal partner for Maguire but his fitness has been an issue over his entire Manchester United career.
Come this transfer window, Manchester United will be on the lookout of a centre-back to partner Maguire. With Koulibaly set to go to the other half of Manchester, United have to start analyzing their options. Upamecano from Leipzig might be an option, but Bailly and Lindelof can save United millions if they work on their weaknesses.
