Napoli president details failed £95m Mourinho offer for star man

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed the club rejected a staggering £95million offer from Manchester United for one of their star players just days before Jose Mourinho was shown the door.

United took the decision to end Mourinho’s reign on Tuesday – but it’s suggested transfer plans for January were already well underway with Wednesday’s papers claiming the club had sanctioned a deal for Juventus winger Douglas Costa.

Furthermore, the report details that Mourinho had also been granted permission to try and shatter the world-record fee for a defender next month – and now De Laurentiis has revealed United had contacted them with an offer for Kalidou Koulibaly.

Reports on Tuesday detailed how United had sent scouts to watch the powerful Senegalese centre-back twice over the past week.

That was according to The Sun, who believe United were readying a world-record swoop having taked in Napoli’s matches at Liverpool last week and Cagliari on Sunday.

However, De Laurentiis has now confirmed United’s offer and revealed his side had rebuffed the approach.

“Mourinho wanted him, we rejected £95million,” De Laurentiis said. “But now [after Mourinho’s sacking] it’s impossibile that he leaves Napoli.”

 

Koulibaly signed a new five-year deal at Napoli in September and discussing United’s interest in the player, an Old Trafford source told the Sun: “The club had people there and it wasn’t just to run the rule over Liverpool.

Kalidou Koulibaly: Linked with PL switch

“They wanted to see what Koulibaly was like against English opposition after watching him a few times in Italy.

“He impressed everyone and the need for players at the back has never been more evident.”

United’s approach for Koulibaly, it’s claimed, would have also seen the player likely double his £80,000 a week wages at Napoli by moving to Old Trafford.

 

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