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Kalidou Koulibaly reveals Napoli blocked €100m Manchester United transfer
Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed that Napoli rejected a €100 million offer from Manchester United in 2018, despite his desire for a new challenge.
Speaking on Zack NaniTV’s La Roue Libre, the Senegalese defender reflected on one of the defining moments of his career.
Then at his peak in Serie A, Koulibaly had just been voted Italy’s best defender for two consecutive seasons and was attracting major interest across Europe.
Yet, Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, refused to entertain the idea of a transfer — even when United placed an extraordinary offer on the table.
“I had an offer from Manchester United at the time. €100 million, and the club refused. Are you kidding me? I swear!” Koulibaly said.
He went on to explain how manager Carlo Ancelotti, who had just taken charge of Napoli, made it clear he could not imagine losing his star centre-back.
“Carlo Ancelotti told me, ‘If you leave, I’ll resign,’” Koulibaly recalled. “He had just arrived, and that created a moral dilemma for me.
I thought maybe I’d done my time in Naples and given everything. Perhaps it was time for a new challenge.”
Koulibaly admitted that the decision weighed heavily on him. The proposed move would have represented a life-changing contract and a historic transfer for both player and club.
Still, Napoli’s stance remained firm, and the defender stayed in Italy for several more seasons.
“I could have had the contract of a lifetime, a historic transfer,” he said. “But Napoli refused. That’s how it is, that’s football.”
The Senegal captain, now playing for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, has since accepted how events unfolded.
His years in Naples shaped his career and reputation, but the blocked transfer remains one of football’s biggest “what if” moments.
Koulibaly’s reflections shed light on the complex balance between loyalty, ambition, and the business of modern football — where even record-breaking offers can fall short of persuasion when club pride and managerial conviction take hold.
