Napoli defender and Manchester United target Kalidou Koulibaly’s former agent Bruno Satin has revealed how much it would cost to sign the centre-half.
The player has been priced at £87.5million and will be available in the next summer transfer window.
“PSG already have plenty of central defenders,” Satin reportedly told Canal+.
“Maybe he can play at No.10, they already play Marquinhos at No.6. But if Koulibaly leaves [Napoli], he will not come to PSG.
“His transfer could cost €100m (£87.5m).”
This might come good news for Manchester United, who have been hot on Koulibaly’s heels for quite some time now.
Koulibaly – Worth the fee
Manchester United struggled to get the right defensive combination under the tutelage of former manager Jose Mourinho and a number of centre-backs were linked with a move to the club in the last couple of transfer windows.
While there were names like Harry Maguire and Jerome Boateng in consideration, the most talked about name was of that of the Ivory Coast international Koulibaly. However, Napoli had reportedly rebuffed a £95million bid made by the Red Devils.
Manchester United are performing well in the Premier League under their interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with everyone in the team performing better than they did under Mourinho.
United’s defensive displays have also improved under the Norwegian, and the partnership of Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones seems to be clicking for the Red Devils.
Undoubtedly the inclusion of a top quality centre-back like Koulibaly would provide a lot of stability to the United backline.
With the likes of Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly sitting on the bench, it might be enough for the Red Devils to see off the opposition attackers in the upcoming matches. However, the club still needs a proven and top quality centre-back, and Koulibaly might be the ideal solution.
Quality centre-backs don’t come cheap in the present day transfer market, and United can’t miss out on Koulibaly, who has the ability to transform the United defence.
We’ve already seen the impact Virgil van Dijk has had at Liverpool, and if United are to challenge for the title next season, they need to have a solid defence.
Though the likes of Smalling, Jones and Lindelof have impressed of late, whether or not it’s just a purple patch and they can do it under pressure still remains to be seen.
Koulibaly has the experience of playing for a side in Europe and challenging for the league title in the last few years, so the Red Devils will have to splash the cash if they want a solid player at the back.