Koulibaly to Man Utd: Rangnick Plans to Solve Maguire Problem Once and For All
Center-back is a high-priced position. For his recent performances, Harry Maguire has received a lot of flak. Interim Manager Ralf Rangnick intends to solve Harry Maguire’s defensive problem once and for all, thus Koulibaly might be on his way to Manchester United. Last summer, Manchester United reportedly chose Raphael Varane over Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli.
Maguire has been chastised for his performances for Manchester United so far this season, with Roy Keane describing him as “embarrassing” following England’s victory over Albania.
Harry, 28, was sent off against Watford on Saturday after receiving two yellow cards in seven minutes during the second half.
Manchester United may be preoccupied with what is happening on the field as the festive fixtures pile up, but they are also keeping an eye on the January transfer market. While Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as temporary manager has helped to calm the ship, with back-to-back Premier League victories, there are still issues to be resolved.
Manchester United reportedly wanted to sign Kalidou Koulibaly during the summer transfer window, but were willing to match Napoli’s asking price, according to reports. Before the 2021/22 season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it a priority to sign a centre-back, and Koulibaly was on the shortlist. Captain Maguire was tasked with erecting a solid defensive wall for the Red Devils, but the injury-prone French center-back has yet to properly adjust to the Premier League, and harry maguire continues to leak goals for the sake of it.
The decision to designate Harry Maguire the club’s captain in January 2020 was reportedly’resented’ by Manchester United players.
Maguire was promoted to captaincy at Old Trafford just five months after coming from Leicester City, replacing Ashley Young, who had moved to Inter Milan.
Since then, the England defender has remained in the position, but under new manager Rangnick, that might change at any point.
Following a 4-1 defeat at Watford on Saturday, Norwegian boss Ole was dismissed, with Maguire being sent off after getting two yellow cards.
Could Manchester United chase Koulibaly once more?
Koulibaly has been extensively linked with a move to Old Trafford for a number of transfer windows after impressing throughout his time in Naples.
Despite having previously taken a firm position on his future, Napoli have been open to bids for the centre-back since last season.
United has notified the Italian giants, according to Italian writer Fabio Santini, that they are willing to reopen discussions for Koulibaly.
According to recent sources from Italy, United is planning new talks over Koulibaly, and Napoli’s asking price has been drastically reduced.
United wanted Koulibaly in the summer, but were hesitant to pay what Napoli wanted for him, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The Serie A club demanded £34.1 million (€40 million) in total, including bonuses, which United refused to pay.
Despite being dubbed “one of the best defenders in the world” by Corriere, Koulibaly is already 30 years old and may be nearing the end of his career.
They further claim that, while Koulibaly is content in Naples, if Ralf Rangnick calls for his services, he will gladly embrace a new challenge to fix Manchester United’s poor defense.
