Napoli have rejected a lucrative bid of €100 million Premier League bid for defensive stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly.
According to a report from Naples based radio station Radio Kiss Kiss, Napoli have rejected lucrative advances for their defensive superstar Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese international has been hugely linked with a move away from Stadio San Paolo with Chelsea and Manchester United both vying for his services.
However, as understood by Italian news outlet Calciomercato, the Italian giants have remained persistent in keeping a hold of their prized defender, having rejected a stunning bid of €100 million. The identity of the bidders remains anonymous as of now, although it has been reported that it is one of the Premier League clubs.
Many people do however claim that Manchester United is the most likely club to have lodged that corresponding bid for a number of reasons. The Red Devils have gone through a relatively quiet transfer window thus far with Fred being the only big-name signing.
Although they have also signed the likes of Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, none of these players are expected to play a crucial role in the first team.
Additionally, head coach Jose Mourinho has repeatedly stressed the need for a world-class centre-back this summer following a string of awful performances from the defensive duo of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.
And Daley Blind completing a return to Ajax earlier this month means that the Red Devils have successfully managed to make room for the addition of a new centre-back this summer with Koulibaly presumably being the number one target.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are already preoccupied with their top target Daniele Rugani this summer. Following the arrival of Maurizio Sarri, the Blues have been on landing on several Juventus players with Rugani being one of them. The Premier League giants are tipped to complete a €50 million swoop for the Italian international.
Moreover, Chelsea also have quite a stacked defensive department and given the fact that they might also have to fund potential replacements for Willian and Thibaut Courtois, a big-money move for Koulibaly seems rather bizarre. Although Sarri, who was the brains behind Koulibaly’s incredible development, has a healthy relationship with the Senegalese defender.
Therefore, all situations point towards Manchester United being the ones to have placed that lucrative bid to Napoli, who, meanwhile, are adamant in not presenting themselves as a feeder club to English giants. And especially after the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, the Ciucciarelli have shown great ambition as they once again look to pose a strong challenge to Juventus for the Serie A title next season.
