He will Kalidou for Ole at OT

EXCLUSIVE

MANCHESTER UNITED remain hell-bent on bringing Kalidou Koulibaly to Old Trafford.

The Napoli centre-half, 28, is viewed as the perfect partner for Reds skipper Harry Maguire at the back.

And despite spending the last 12 months chasing Koulibaly – without any joy – the Premier League outfit still regard him as their defensive priority.

They will step up efforts to secure his services as soon as the summer window opens.

Koulibaly is aware of their interest and is open to the idea of a switch to England.

However, United know they are not alone in their pursuit as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are also in the hunt.

That makes Champions League football next season vital if

United are to be in with a good chance of getting the better of that trio for the signature of the Senegal international (above).

Koulibaly will cost the best part of £90million – yet Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes his impact on the Old Trafford side will far outweigh that hefty initial outlay.

The Reds boss is also willing to make him the highest-paid player at the club in order to push the deal through and make up for a relatively quiet January window.

They did sign midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon for an initial fee of £47m.

But United then ended up with former-Watford striker Odion Ighalo, 30, on loan for the rest of the season – after a last-gasp shock swoop for the Nigerian to bolster their depleted attacking options.