Decision made on £100m Man Utd, Chelsea target’s future after approach

Kalidou Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly will not leave Napoli in the January transfer window despite interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.

Premier League duo United and Chelsea have been tracking the 28-year-old central defender for a while and are interested in securing his services, according to The Sun.

Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the defender, who has been at Napoli since the summer of 2014 when he joined from Genk.

However, according to the tabloid, the £100million-rated Senegal international will not leave Naples this month and will stay at the Serie A club until the end of the season.

United reportedly made an approach for the central defender and so did Premier League rivals Chelsea, but Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis turned down both of them.

Koulibaly is one of the best central defenders in Europe, and there is no surprise that United, Chelsea and Tottenham all have been linked with him.

The defender, however, has been quick to play down talk he could be lured away when questioned earlier in the season.However, when questioned about the latest speculation from Senegal’s training camp, Koulibaly was having none of it and insisted his priorities remain with Napoli.

“I’m used to it. So many come out each day, which say I’m leaving. Right now, my only objective is to win with Napoli. I don’t care about the rest,” Koulibaly said.

Napoli are already six points behind eight-time defending champions Juventus and the player admits closing down the gap at the summit remains his only target.

“Our objective remains to beat the best teams in Italy and win the Scudetto,” Koulibaly continued.

 

“This season is more difficult because all the teams have got stronger and Serie A has become more competitive.

“I haven’t made the best start to the season. Juventus remain the team to beat. For our part, we must work even harder, improving our game to get closer to them.

“Our objective is to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage as soon as possible.

“We started well by beating Liverpool with a top performance. We regret not beating Genk, but that’s football.

“We must think positively and be aware that we can do well. My objective is to help the club and team win a trophy now.”

However, the Senegal international is an important player for Napoli, and with the Neapolitan club aiming to finish in the top four of the Serie A table and also in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, Gennaro Gattuso’s side need him to stay for a successful season.

Both United and Chelsea have been linked with a number of players in the January transfer window, but neither the Red Devils nor the Blues have signed anyone yet this month.

However, Bruno Fernandes is reportedly on the verge of completing his move from Sporting Lisbon to United.