Manchester United transfer news: How Carlo Ancelotti actually stopped Red Devils from sealing record £88m deal ...Middle East

Renowned for being big spenders on the transfer market, Manchester United nevertheless failed to break a record a few years ago. Partly Carlo Ancelotti's fault…

Now present at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Kalidou Koulibaly left Europe two years ago. Brilliant at Napoli, where he was elected three times best Serie A defender (2017, 2018, 2019), Koulibaly was seduced by the Saudi project. Before the Gulf, the Senegalese rock had tried his luck in the Premier League, with Chelsea. A short adventure that ended in failure. But a little earlier, the player trained at FC Metz nearly joined Manchester United.

During the show Zack en roue libre with streamer Zack Nani, Koulibaly confided about his failed transfer with the Red Devils in 2018. Manchester United reportedly proposed €100m (£88m) to recruit him. A sum refused by Napoli, which could have made Koulibaly football history's most expensive defender. Ancelotti reportedly moreover put pressure on the player to convince him to stay at Napoli.

How Ancelotti prevented Koulibaly from becoming the world's most expensive defender

“I had an offer from Manchester United at the time, €100m, the club (Napoli) refuse. Ancelotti arrives and tells me he came to win the league. If you leave, I also resign. Me, I've done my time at Napoli, I can have the contract of my life, a historic transfer,” revealed the 34-year-old player. Ultimately, the transfer will not happen, probably because of refusals from Ancelotti and president Aurelio De Laurentiis, renowned for his intransigence.

If Napoli had accepted this offer from Manchester United, then Koulibaly would have become football history's most expensive defender. Still today, no defender has exceeded the £85.5m mark. The record still belongs to Josko Gvardiol (€90m).

This article was originally published on Top Mercato.

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