Manchester United have made contact with Napoli about signing Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports in the English media. The Senegalese international is also being pursued by Everton with the defender now said to be keen on leaving the Italian club.

The centre-back is believed to have informed the Partenopei’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis that he wants to depart during the January transfer window.

A pretty modest fee of €65m (£56m) has been suggested as a possible asking price, but with Koulibaly having been rated above £100m in the summer, it’s highly likely that the centre-back will be sold for so little.

United’s interest is somewhat surprising considering they shelled out £80m on Harry Maguire just five months ago, but it appears manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has begun to lose patience with Victor Lindelof.

The Swedish international has certainly improved since he first arrived from Benfica in 2017 but his inconsistent performances mean he has never fully been convincing.