City ‘take advantage’ of Man Utd hesistancy in battle for €70m man

Joe Williams
Kalidou Koulibaly Man Utd

Manchester City have reportedly stolen a march on Man Utd while they’ve been dithering over whether to make a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly or not.

The Senegal international has been consistently linked with a move to Man Utd and other Premier League clubs, with offers going in for the defender during Jose Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford.

Koulibaly has been a key part of Napoli’s defence since 2014 when he swapped Belgian outfit Genk for the Serie A club, where he has amassed 245 appearances in all competitions.


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Journalist Alfredo Pedulla claimed on Tuesday that Man City had offered €63m plus bonuses for Koulibaly but that Napoli were holding out for €70m as a ‘fixed base’.

That came after Gazzetta dello Sport said on Monday that Man Utd were willing to buy Koulibaly for €70m and that the amount ‘cannot be refused’ by Napoli given their current financial situation.

There is reportedly a good chance that Napoli will sell Koulibaly as they look to recoup €150m in sales this summer.

And now Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claims that Man Utd ‘have other things to think about’ due to their participation in the Europa League, as they made it through to the semi-finals thanks to their 1-0 victory over Copenhagen.

Despite being ‘forbidden to be distracted’ in the summer market, their neighbours Man City will ‘take advantage’ of United’s hesistancy.

If there are no other offers then City’s rumoured bid of €70m including bonuses would be enough to seal a deal but Man Utd are tipped to ‘remerge quickly’ in the battle for the centre-back.