Manchester United according to media reports are ready to splash the cash in the January transfer window to land Napoli and Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Jose Mourinho have made no secret of his desire to land a world class defender in the winter window with the Red Devils trainer linked with Harry Maguire, Diego Godin and Toby Alderweireld last summer.
According to Evening Standards, Manchester United Vice Chairman Ed Woodward has promised Mourinho that he would break the World record fee currently being held by Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool.
Jose Mourinho is of the opinion that Koulibaly holds the solution to the club’s defensive woes, though the Senegalese international could cost as high as £100 million considering shrewd nature of Napoli President De Laurentis. The purported fee if met will make Koulibaly the most expensive defender of all time, and Woodward has revealed that the Manchester club can afford the fee.
Koulibaly is not the only defender in Jose Mourinho’s radar with Tottenham’s Alderweireld, Leicester’s Maguire and Inter Milan’s Skriniar all linked to Old Trafford.
Mourinho is adamant that he wants defensive reinforcements as soon as possible, in January, but any deal for Alderweireld would have to wait until the summer when a £25m release clause kicks in.
Koulibaly is seen as being ready-made for the Premier League while Napoli’s failure to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League means he could be available for the knockout stages by United who could be pushing for continental trophies/