Has the time finally come for Koulibaly to leave Napoli and confirm that Manchester United have lost out with Maguire?

Kalidou Koulibaly is without any doubt an excellent stopper who has been in high demand several times. Napoli, however, traditionally stands its ground and does not sell its players cheaply, but on the other hand is aware of their qualities. This is also why the Senegalese defender has stayed in Italy. But now it looks like there will be a change after all!

A few years ago, Manchester United needed a new stopper and it was Koulibaly who was scouted, but he had a £150 million buyout clause. The English outfit did not even succeed with Aurelio de Laurentiis’ £95 million offer.

Even today it is difficult to say how much the president of Naples would accept for his favourite stopper, but Manchester United then brought Harry Maguire, who is the current captain of the team, for 80 million. However, he is a laughing stock because of his very poor performances.

De Laurentiis himself said in a press conference that if Maguire is worth £80 million, then Koulibaly is worth £250 million. Unfortunately for United fans, as has already been said, the money spent on the English stopper has definitely not been paid by the player yet and everyone is very curious to see what kind of performances Harry will put in under Erik ten Hag.

Moreover, the Dutch coach is planning to bring another stopper to Old Trafford, who could form a duo with Raphael Varane, leaving Maguire only on the bench, which would be somewhat ridiculous considering his role as captain. Unless he improves significantly, however, that will become a reality.

However, back to Koulibaly, whose arrival at Stamford Bridge seems to be a done deal according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The London club’s first offer was brushed off the table by Napoli, but an improved offer, which includes €38m plus bonuses, should have already apparently convinced the club’s management to move the 31-year-old stopper from Italy to England.

Napoli can use the potential sum to bring in new players, specially in the centre of defence, where the trio of Amir Rrahmani (28), Juan Jesus (31) and just Koulibaly, who has served his time, are currently operating.

Otherwise, Napoli still have Sebastian Luperto, returning from a loan spell, and 20-year-old David Costanzo, who was captain of the U19s, at the stopper position. One promising and quality stopper would thus probably be lost in the event of Koulibaly’s departure.

Source: Fabrizio Romano, Transfermarkt