Man United to give up on Koulibaly

Manchester United are expected to abandon their interest in Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, according to the Mirror.

The 20-time English champions have reportedly been on the hunt for a top-class central defender to partner the world’s most expensive player in that position, Harry Maguire, whom they signed from Leicester City last summer for over £80 million.

The Red Devils had apparently been hoping, even feeling confident, that the financial situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic would force Napoli to lower their valuation of the Senegal international, currently standing at around £100 million. However, the situation seems to have backfired on them.

Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli claims that the crisis cannot affect the price of a player of Koulibaly’s quality, and the Serie A club have no intention whatsoever of accepting any bid short of what they believe he is worth. This stance has now forced United to consider their own financial position amid the crisis, and having lost around £28 million to the pandemic already, they simply cannot afford to break the world record for the most expensive defender again.