Napoli chases Manchester United away with their huge £95m transfer bid for Koulibaly

MANCHESTER UNITED’S blockbuster £95million bid for Kalidou Koulibaly has been rejected.

The Napoli star is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world with United desperate to tighten up their defence ahead of next season.

Gazzetta Dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira reports United’s potential world record bid for the 27-year-old central defender has been knocked back by the Italians.

The huge bid eclipsing the £75million Liverpool shelled out for Virgil van Dijk shows United mean business this summer as they look to bridge the huge gap between themselves and champions Manchester City.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis knows United chief Ed Woodward is under pressure to deliver summer signings in support of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

De Laurentiis does not want to sell his defensive stalwart who has a £130m buyout clause that comes into play next year.

Napoli finished second in Serie A behind Juventus with the Senegalese international named the best defender in the Italian top flight.

Koulibaly helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side keep 13 clean sheets, made 31 blocks and won 67 per cent of his tackles.

And his defensive prowess was on show at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday with a stunning goal-line clearance while the game was poised at 2-0 during the 4-1 win against Inter Milan.

Solskjaer wants all his summer shopping wrapped up by the time his squad jets off for their pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East in July.

United are also tracking Crystal Palace full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Patrick Van Aanholt to stiffen up their back line.

Lille winger Nicolas Pepe is another target, but United face competition from Real Madrid for the Ivory Coast star.