Jose Mourinho has once again been rebuffed as he looks to shore up his shaky backline.
According to reports in Italy, Manchester United had a nearly $103 million mega transfer bid for centerback Kalidou Koulibaly rejected by his club Napoli. With Koulibaly having resigned recently with Napoli for a further five seasons, the reports state it would be well over $114 million for Napoli to part ways with their star defender.
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Koulibaly, the French-born Senegal international, has been a revelation the last few seasons in Serie A, providing Napoli with a stalwart on the defensive line and helping the club become a regular in the top four of the league, pushing Juventus for a title. Should Man United dig deeper into their pockets for Koulibaly, he could have a similar impact as Virgil Van Dijk has had at Liverpool.
Here’s more rumors and transfer stories from around the Premier League:
Cahill to Milan?
AC Milan has a defensive crisis. With Alessio Romagnoli ruled out with a muscle injury suffered in training, three of manager Gennaro Gattuso’s top centerbacks are out, leaving the Italian giants searching for options.
One option, though not immediate, could be to sign former England international Gary Cahill. The centerback is on the outside looking in at Chelsea, having been deemed surplus to requirements by manager Maurizio Sarri. But the 32-year-old defender surely still has more to offer, and could give Milan a boost in the centerback department, especially with Mattia Caldara likely out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury.
It will take some time for Cahill to gain match fitness. He’s only played 21 minutes of Premier League action, though he has started five times between the UEFA Europa League and League Cup for the Blues.
