Premier League side Manchester United is ready to go all-out in its pursuit for Napoli center back Kalidou Koulibaly. The Red Devils are ready to table a world-record £100 million ($127.4 million) bid for the Senegalese defender, according to reports.
In recent years, Koulibaly has been heavily linked with a move to the Old Trafford outfit. However, his Serie A club Napoli has often maintained that the player is not for sale at any price.
Although Manchester United is said to be keen on signing Ajax's Matthijs De Ligt as part of the club's summer overhaul, interest in securing the service of the player has waned in the past few weeks. This is due to the fact that the Premiership side has fallen behind the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain as the 19-year-old center back's most preferred destination.
As a result, Koulibaly has been identified as a suitable alternative for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team although they will be required to break the bank to make the move happen. According to Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport, the Red Devils are ready with a bid of £100 million ($127.4 million) as they aim to break the ice for negotiations to begin.
This comes after the English club had an initial offer of £88 million ($112 million) rejected. Should the move go through, Manchester United will eclipse the £75 million ($95.5 million) Liverpool paid Southampton for the transfer of Virgil van Dijk in 2017.
Meanwhile, the 20-time English champions completed their first business of the summer transfer window by announcing the signing of Swansea City's Daniel James. The 21-year-old winger completed his transfer in a deal worth £15 million ($19m).
We're delighted to have agreed terms, in principle, with Swansea City for the transfer of Daniel James to #MUFC.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 7, 2019
Further details will be revealed in due course.
