Manchester United 'turned down £34m Koulibaly deal before signing Varane'

Manchester United decided against a move for Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer, according to a report.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made bolstering his defence a priority in the transfer window and the Red Devils were linked with Sven Botman, Jules Kounde and Cristian Romero.

Eventually Man United signed Raphael Varane from Real Madrid for an initial fee of £34m.

However, Corriere dello Sport suggests that that was not before they tried to sign Koulibaly, but were put off by Napoli's asking price.

The report states that the Serie A side wanted £34.1m including bonuses for the 30-year-old, which Man United were not willing to pay.

Koulibaly has been at Napoli since 2014, making 286 appearances for the Italian club.