Why Koulibaly to Chelsea solves a Man Utd transfer problem
Stuart Telford
- 13 Jul 2022 11:01 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are closing in on the transfer of Napoli captain Kalidou Koulibaly, which is good news for Manchester United.
United fans are hoping for a new era under Erik ten Hag, but while the Dutchman has given some forthright interviews so far, their summer transfer spending has been underwhelming to say the least.
Netherlands left-back Tyrell Malacia has been acquired from Feyenoord for a potential €17 million, but Paul Pogba has returned to Juventus on a free whilst Cristiano Ronaldo seems determined to follow the Frenchman out of the club.
Bailly fourth-choice at best
The wheels of change are in motion, however, and Koulibaly to Chelsea opens the door for Eric Bailly to leave Old Trafford. Napoli reportedly want him to step into their captain's boots.
He would appear to be United's fourth-choice centre-back at best with Harry Maguire confirmed as captain under Ten Hag, and Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof starting his first pre-season game - a 4-0 win over a second-string Liverpool.
Bailly got a run out for the second half and caused a bit of a Twitter storm for one particular carry out of defence, but his time would appear to be up at the Red Devils, and if they can recoup even some of the £30m (€35m) they paid Villarreal for him in 2016, it would represent shrewd business.
Bailly 😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/epzAWjj3dE
— United Zone Clips (@utdzonevid) July 12, 2022
Jose Mourinho's first signing at the club, Bailly featured in the majority of games in his maiden season at Old Trafford, but he has been ravaged by injury since, missing more than 100 competitive matches during his six-year stay.
Still three years younger than Koulibaly at 28, Bailly's athleticism and bravery could nonetheless be appealing for Napoli, and Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Alfredo Pedulla credits them with an interest.
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"Napoli are in contacts for #mufc's Eric Bailly," he tweeted. "He is among the options they're considering to replace Kalidou Koulibaly."
Rated at just €6m by Football Transfers' sophisticated in-house algorithm, Napoli shouldn't be daunted by a fee in that region after receiving up to €40m for Koulibaly, and United would be getting a headache - one who earns more than £4m a year - off their books.
