Man Utd Could Smash Transfer Record as President Admits Deal Is Possible
By Ben Carter
Manchester United could be tempted to break their transfer record after Napoli's president admitted he'll have to sell one of the Red Devils' long-term targets, according to the latest gossip.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was backed to the tune of £143m during the summer, landing defenders Harry Maguire (£78m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£49.5m) as well as Swansea City winger Daniel James (£15m).
United's record arrival is still Paul Pogba following his return to the club in 2016, but the club could now be in line to break the £100m barrier after learning that long-term target Kalidou Koulibaly could be up for sale at Napoli.
Napoli's president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently admitted: "Last August I refused £105m [from Manchester United] and I am aware that sooner or later we will be forced to sell him."
That's prompted transfer rumours to pop up across Europe regarding Koulibaly's future at the Stadio San Paolo, suggesting that this could be the Senegal international's last season in Naples.
While lancs.live are hinting that Manchester United could be tempted to come back in with another offer for Koulibaly in the near future - a move that would likely force the club to break their transfer record.
Although the Lancashire-based outlet are peddling the whispers about United's renewed interest in Koulibaly, these most recent rumours actually appear to have started in the Italian press, as well as by The Sun.
The suggestion that Manchester United will go back in with a world-record offer for a defender to sign Koulibaly have unsurprisingly snowballed out of control.
But at this stage, there doesn't appear to be any concrete evidence that Koulibaly could be unveiled at Old Trafford either in January or next summer, although it is true that the centre back - who was nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or - is unlikely to spend another season at Napoli.
Manchester United certainly have been interested in Koulibaly in the past and could yet make another move for him - which would demand a fee in excess of £100m - but this latest batch of rumours appear to be nothing more than some hopeful chatter that's gotten out of hand.
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