The Red Devils are looking for a center-back to back up Harry Maguire.
The club’s main target is Real Madrid’s French center-back Raphael Varane. Sources close to the club say that talks are ongoing with Madrid and that progress has been made in negotiations.
However, the Red Devils are beginning to fear that an agreement cannot be reached for the player. They are therefore assessing possible alternatives.
The second player on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s shortlist is Napoli’s Senegalese center-back Kalidou Koulibaly.
Napoli has decided to sell the player and placed him on the transfer list with a price tag of € 50 million. This figure is within ManU’s budget and is similar to the one they are negotiating for Varane.
The 30-year-old Koulibaly is one of the best defenders in Serie A and has long been on the radar of Europe’s top teams. The player has made 209 Serie A appearances since joining Napoli in 2014 from Genk.
He has also made 45 appearances in the Europa League. If his arrival at Old Trafford is confirmed, he could finally make his debut in next season’s Champions League.
Real Madrid has joined the race for Koulibaly as they are looking for a replacement for Sergio Ramos, and boss Carlo Ancelotti has directly requested the signing of the Senegalese player.
Napoli is already preparing for Koulibaly’s departure and is rumored to have initiated talks with the agents of 19-year-old Ecuadorian player Piero Hincapie, who stood out in the Copa America and attracted the interest of several European clubs.
