Man Utd Have 'Prepared' €95m Bid for Napoli Defender Kalidou Koulibaly & Why it Won't Happen

Manchester United are supposedly ready to bid €95m for centre back Kalidou Koulibaly, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeks an answer to his lack of defensive steel, according to a report in Italy. However, the amount (if true) is unlikely to move Napoli.

Koulibaly has earned a reputation as one of the world's top defenders during his time at Napoli and was named Serie A's best defender of 2018/19. The Senegal international is an integral part of a defence that kept 14 clean sheets in the Italian league this season as Carlo Ancelotti's side finished runners-up to Juventus for the second year in a row. 

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He has long been touted as a United target and now, according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, the Red Devils have readied a €95m (£84m) bid to bring Koulibaly over to the Premier League.

United are clearly in desperate need of reinforcements following a dismal season in which the club finished sixth in the Premier League. 

Strengthening the defence will no doubt be one of Solskjaer's priorities, his side having kept just seven clean sheets throughout the league season. 

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While Victor Lindelof improved on a poor first campaign, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones continue to underwhelm, while Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo both suffered from poor form and fitness issues and look likely to depart this summer.

However, the rumoured offer for Koulibaly seems unlikely to tempt Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis into selling. The defender has a contract that runs until 2023, while Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti has previously said he believes the centre back is not for sale unless his €150m release clause is activated.

In addition, de Laurentiis has been famously outspoken on rejected bids for Koulibaly in the past, while a report as from as recently as last month claimed the Red Devils had already seen a €110m bid turned down.

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United, for their part, have been linked with a number of defensive targets in recent months, including Leicester's Harry Maguire and Ajax's young captain Matthijs de Ligt.

While Solskjaer is reported to have a summer budget of £200m to play with, the general consensus is that the board's preference is for British stars like Daniel James (who is close to a £15m move) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.