ESPN pundit Craig Burley has said that Manchester United have need the services of Kalidou Koulibaly more than Liverpool this summer. The Senegal international has been touted to leave Napoli at the end of the season and reports have claimed that he could be headed to the Premier League amid interest from the likes of United and Liverpool.
Speaking to the ESPN FC show, Burley highlighted that Koulibaly is a wonderful player but at the age of 29, he could prove a costly purchase. Still, he highlighted that United can afford him and they probably require his services more than the Reds, who have a settled combination of central defensive players.
He told: “Is Koulibaly a great get for most clubs? Absolutely, he is a fantastic centre-half. You have to weigh up the pros and cons. He is going to be 29 this summer. There is a financial situation in terms of transfer fee and wages. Man United need him more. They’ve got a good centre-half in [Harry] Maguire and then a couple of centre-halves I’m sure they’d like to get rid of. Liverpool have ]Joel] Matip, [Dejan] Lovren and [Joe] Gomez, who is a good young player.”
United have depended on Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof for the central defensive duties but the latter has been inconsistent with his displays on some occasions. As a result, the club are eyeing a new centre-back, considering the back-up options in Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe have yet to make a significant impact from the starting XI under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Elsewhere, the Reds have Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren at their disposal for the central defensive roles. Lovren has been touted to leave on a cut-price deal with his contract expiring during the summer but reports claim that the club could prefer a low-key replacement. Besiktas’ Domagoj Vida has been identified as an option.