Manchester United have been quoted a price of more than £90m for Kalidou Koulibaly, the Napoli central defender who is Jose Mourinho’s top defensive target for the January transfer window. Senior United officials recently met with the Serie A club to explore the possibility of a mid-season transfer.

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has made it clear that he considers Koulibaly central to a squad that lies second in the Italian championship and leads Champions League Group C ahead of Tuesday’s tie at Anfield. While De Laurentiis may prove easier to deal with should Napoli fail to reach the knock-out stages, the club is under no great financial pressure, and Carlo Ancelotti accepted the manager’s position in the summer on the understanding that he would