Manchester United executives are set to chase Napoli ace Kalidou Koulibaly to bolster Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils backline, per La Gazzetta dello Sport.

What’s the word?

Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport are claiming that Manchester United are set to target the 6 foot 5 defender Jose Mourinho had his eyes on, as the Red Devils aim to improve their centre-back options.

Koulibaly is a key figure in Naples and featured in 24 games for Carlo Ancelotti prior to the winter break. In the 18 Serie A games within those, the Senegalese star recorded a successful tackle every 47.4 minutes and intercepted the ball a total of 25 times.

If he were to move to Old Trafford, Solskjaer would have the services of a man mountain that clears the ball away with ease, taking the pressure off of David De Gea, but would set United back a high figure.

La Gazzetta dello Sport’s report claims that a bid of €120million would have to be made for negotiations over a move to take place, and note that the president of Napoli will be resistant to losing his star man in the mid-season window.

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Could it happen?

Well, given that the €120million figure being bounced around is only to open negotiations over a possible move in the summer, it would take some doing to force a move in January.

Napoli felt the loss of Koulibaly in their most recent match against Bologna, as they eventually came out 3-2 victors with a late winner from Dries Mertens.

Napoli fans hold up pictures of Kalidou Koulibaly inside the stadium before the Bologna match

The 31-cap international, valued by Transfermarkt at £63million, missed the final Serie A clash of 2018 after seeing red at the San Siro on Boxing Day for two yellow card offences.

Say, however, that United were to bid £140million, an offer that would surely tempt the Napoli owner, they would have the services of one of the top centre-backs in global football, and the club would be set perfectly for an assault on the Premier League next season.

Liverpool’s mid-season purchase of Virgil van Dijk in 2018 certainly set the Merseyside club up well for their latest attack on a maiden Premier League campaign with their defensive record a far cry from the horror show that thwarted them on many occasions.

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