Manchester United look to have been handed a huge boost in their rumoured pursuit of the transfer of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Senegal international has been a world class performer during his time in Serie A and has long been linked with bigger clubs such as Man Utd and Real Madrid.
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The Red Devils have seemed to show the strongest interest, however, with the club looking weak at the back for some time now despite splashing out on Harry Maguire this summer.
United could still benefit from signing Koulibaly, and Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis says he accepts he will have to sell his star player at some point.
He admits he’s previously turned down as much as £90million for the 28-year-old, but these quotes will surely give MUFC some hope of sealing a future deal.
“I am fond of Koulibaly and I have not sold him even for €105m (£90m),” De Laurentiis is quoted by the Express.
“[But] there will come a time when Koulibaly will have to be sold.”
Koulibaly himself recently attempted to play down talk over his future, though he did not rule out moving to United.
“I’m used to transfer rumours,” he said. “So many [stories] come out each day, which say I’m leaving.
“Right now, my only objective is to win with Napoli. I don’t care about the rest.”