“The president slammed the phone in the face of the English” – Journalist reveals Manchester United’s failed pursuit of defender this summer

Manchester United failed to sign Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly before signing Raphael Varane in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Paolo Esposito.

Esposito has revealed that Manchester United tried to sign Koulibaly in the summer and offered €35 million to Napoli. However, the offer did not go down well with the Napoli hierarchy, with owner Aurelio De Laurentiis slamming the phone down to reject the proposal.

Speaking to 87tv.it (via Sport Witness), Paolo Esposito said:

“During the last transfer window, Manchester United offered €35m to Napoli for Kalidou Koulibaly. The reaction of the owner Aurelio De Laurentiis? The president slammed the phone in the face of the English. The proposal was considered excessively low.”

Manchester United were desperate to sign a centre-back in the summer to have a formidable partner to club-captain Harry Maguire. There were reports linking the Red Devils with Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer which have been confirmed by Paolo Esposito.

Manchester United, however, failed to land their long-term defensive target and ended up signing Raphael Varane for a fee of around €40 million. In the end, Manchester United got a better deal. Raphael Varane is two years younger than Kalidou Koulibaly and has a larger trophy collection.

Unfortunately for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Raphael Varane picked up a groin injury during the recent international break and has missed the club's last three games in all competitions.

Manchester United are going through a barren run of form

Despite starting the season in scintillating form, Manchester United's form has recently dropped off, with the Red Devils losing three of their last four matches in the Premier League.

Manchester United have lost to the likes of Aston Villa and Leicester City and were recently hammered 5-0 by fierce-rivals Liverpool. In this barren run of form, United have only picked up one point from their last four games, a 1-1 draw against Everton.

This has left Manchester United seventh in the Premier League standings, eight points behind league-leaders Chelsea. The Red Devils also find themselves behind the likes of Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Manchester United have also been far from their best in the Champions League despite winning their last two games. United needed a last-minute winner against Villarreal before coming back from 2-0 down to beat Atalanta 3-2.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is walking on thin ice and is very well aware that defeat to either Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester City could see him get the sack.