Contact made: Man Utd and Ten Hag move to sign 'second-best defender in the world' in cheap move

Manchester United have reportedly made contact with Kalidou Koulibaly’s agent over a possible summer transfer.

The Red Devils have been linked with Koulibaly for a number of years now and have seemingly come close to his services on a number of occasions.

Back in 2020, reports claimed that a £60m move to Old Trafford was done, whereas stories last year suggested the club snubbed a £34m deal in favour of signing Raphael Varane.

Koulibaly, who has been described as the ‘second-best defender in the world’ by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, has remained with Napoli, but it looks as if rumours over a Manchester United move have started once again ahead of the summer window.

Sports Witness relayed an update from Area Napoli regarding Koulibaly on Friday. They claimed that there has now been contact between United and Fali Ramadani, Koulibaly’s agent.

There is hope from Ramadani that some teams could offer €35m (£29.7m) for the defender’s services, with Erik ten Hag keen on bolstering the club’s centre-back ranks.

Koulibaly is valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, so a potential £29.7m summer move would be seen as a cheap one given the £60m links two years ago.

However, the Senegal international will turn 31 next month and has seen his valuation drop from £67.5m since 2019, so you could argue that United could be better off looking elsewhere.

Another centre-back who has been linked is Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio, with an offer from United thought to be ‘imminent’, so perhaps looking to build for the future with Inacio may be a better decision than pursuing Koulibaly, who seems to be past his prime based on valuation.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd have now agreed key deal for ‘important’ Old Trafford move. 

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