MANCHESTER UNITED have made a “strong press” for Kalidou Koulibaly forcing Paris Saint-Germain to pull out the race to sign him, according to reports.
The Senegal defender has been constantly linked with a move away from Napoli in recent years and United are particularly keen on landing the £70million rated man.
Koulibaly turns 29 later this month and has attracted interest from United, PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But the Red Devils have seen off at least one competitor as PSG have “abandoned the idea of signing him”, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
Despite signing Harry Maguire for £85million last year, United are desperate to bring in Koulibaly alongside him to shore up their back line.
So much so that they are willing to stump up around £70m to land him this summer.
Napoli dropped their asking price after previously rejecting offers of £90m.
Although the PSG news will come as a boost to United, it is thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may yet face some competition domestically.
Manchester City are still in need of another central defender, while Liverpool and Tottenham have also shown interest, with Jurgen Klopp keen to partner the ex-Genk man up with Virgil van Dijk.
Newcastle also look set to join the race as soon as their Saudi-backed takeover is completed.
Reports last month stated Koulibaly – under contract until 2023 – is Manchester United’s No1 transfer priority.
The futures of the likes of Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones are in question with the trio at risk of being offloaded in the summer.
However, should United miss out on signing the defender, then they could turn to Barcelona ace Samuel Umtiti who could be available for £27m.
