Manchester United have seen a monster bid for Kalidou Koulibaly rejected by Napoli, according to Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Nicolo Schira.
The Italian journalist claimed via his personal Twitter account on Monday that United have offered £96.4million for the 27-year-old centre-back but the bid has been kicked into touch by Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis.
It is understood that there is a £131.5million release clause in Koulibaly’s deal, but that will only become active in 2020.
#Napoli have rejected a #ManchesterUnited’s bid (€110M) for Kalidou #Koulibaly. De Laurentiis doesn’t sell him and the termination clause (€150M) will be valid only from 2020. #transfers #MUFC #mutd
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) May 20, 2019
OPINION
Manchester United are clearly desperate to improve their defence this summer because that bid for Koulibaly is ridiculously high. It is hard to see the Red Devils bidding higher than that sum because they’re getting into a dangerous territory if their next offer is a lot more. Man United have really struggled to sign good centre-backs since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford and although Koulibaly looks great in Serie A, moving to the Premier League will pose a new challenge to him where he will have to adapt to a quicker style of play and higher-quality opponents. Serie A is a lot stronger than it was a few years back but it is nowhere near what the Premier League has to offer. Man United fans should be hopeful of signing the 6ft 2 (transfermarkt) Senegal international but only if the fee involved is not as ridiculous as over £100million. However it does seem as though it will take triggering Koulibaly’s release clause next year to strike a deal.