Manchester United has started their squad re-building on the wrong foot, as their first attempt to hire one of their main targets for next season has been snubbed by the player's parent club.
After a sixth-place finish for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men, the cornerstone of the 2019-20 Manchester United project required the signing of a top-notch center-back. The Red Devils had set their sights for quite some time now on Kalidou Koulibaly, but their first try to lure him away from San Paolo Stadium has proven to be futile.
According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United offered over $110M to Napoli in order to sign the defender. Such a fee would be ground-breaking, as the biggest amount ever paid to sign a defender belongs to Liverpool, who splashed over $80M to sign Virgil Van Dijk. Judging by this report, Napoli is not interested in making history, which saw them turn down Manchester United's offer.
Journalist Nicolo Schira has been following this case closely and reported the following via Twitter.
#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
Manchester United is expected to experience a massive overhaul to try and reach UEFA Champions League spots next season, and if possible, try to win the Premier League title. Unfortunately for them, their efforts to hire a new defender will require more money than initially expected. That is, if they want to insist on Koulibaly's transfer.
