Double blow for Man Utd: Solskjaer tipped to miss out on £189m+ pair

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Man Utd may well suffer a double setback as it’s reported that they could fail in their attempts to sign Richarlison and Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Red Devils are coming off the back of a bitterly disappointing campaign in which they failed to secure a top four finish in the Premier League and ended up trophyless.

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In turn, changes are expected at Old Trafford this summer to strengthen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad to ensure that he can make them competitive next season.

According to The Sun though, amid speculation of interest from Man Utd as well as a £100m price-tag being touted, Richarlison could snub a switch to Manchester as he’s happy with life at Everton.

The Brazilian ace enjoyed a decent season this past year, scoring 14 goals and providing two assists in 38 appearances as he played a key role for Marco Silva’s side.

The 22-year-old would undoubtedly add more quality in the final third, but Solskjaer will surely have to make space in his squad first if he is to reinforce that department, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez all vying for starting berths already.

However, the report above notes that Richarlison wants to remain at Everton for the time being at least, and so that could force Solskjaer to consider alternative options, while an argument could be made that if Everton do indeed want £100m, they should be looking elsewhere anywhere as that’s a hefty fee.

Meanwhile, The Sun also report that if Maurizio Sarri lands the Juventus job, he will attempt to prise Koulibaly away from his former club Napoli as one of the first moves he makes.

It’s added in that report that Man Utd have been heavily linked with the towering centre-half for some time, with Napoli said to want nothing less than £89m for him.

It’s worth nothing that it’s difficult to see the Serie A rivals doing business for one of the Partenopei’s most important figures, and so that should give United an advantage.

However, it has been interpreted as a transfer blow, as Koulibaly could now join the reigning Serie A champions instead if he does leave Naples.

The defence is certainly an area in which Man Utd do need to improve though, having conceded 54 goals in 38 league games last season to have the worst defensive record of the top nine sides.

In turn, Koulibaly would be a statement signing, but time will tell if the two targets named above will have to be removed from the shortlist.

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