Italian Serie A giants Napoli have reportedly turned down a huge bid for Senegalese international defender Kalidou Koulibaly ahead of the upcoming transfer window in the New Year.
According to a report from renowned Italian news portal Gazzetta Dello Sport via teamtalk, Spanish giants Barcelona made a €70m bid for the Napoli centre-back and it was immediately knocked back by club president Aurelio Di Laurentiis.
The report further pointed out that it could take a bid of at least £75m to prise Koulibaly away from the Champions League campaigners.
The fee would be a joint world record for a defender alongside Liverpool centre back Virgil Van Dijk whom the Reds paid £75m for so as to secure his signing during the penultimate transfer window in January.
Manchester United have repeatedly been linked with a move for Kalidou Koulibaly with manager Jose Mourinho going public several times concerning the need for a new centre back.
He has reportedly been given a transfer war chest of £75m and it could be spent on just one player (Koulibaly) due to the huge financial demands from Napoli.
Manchester United are in serious need of a dominant centre back after their poor defensive start to the season.
Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet in ten Premier League games, conceding 16 goals.
