Kalidou Koulibaly Discusses Contract Renewal Amid Manchester United Rumours

Kalidou Koulibaly confirmed rumours he has signed a new contract with Napoli, telling reporters his heart belongs to the Partenopei amid persistent links to Manchester United.

Speculation about a possible extension surfaced earlier this week and while there hasn't been official confirmation yet, the Senegal international told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) he had signed a new deal on Wednesday:

"I feel very happy at Napoli. I’ve been welcomed very warmly since the moment I arrived, both for me and my family.

"This contract renewal is because I want to win something with this club, the team I care most about in my heart. I have felt Neapolitan since my first day here.

“We’ve been trying to win the Scudetto for three or four years, which is very difficult against Juve, as they are putting together some extraordinary statistics.

"We hope this year will be the right one for us. There’s also the Europa League and Coppa Italia, so if we play like Napoli, we can go far."

Per the report, he had been strongly linked to United. Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis gave the Red Devils hope a deal could be done just days ago, telling Corriere del Mezzogiorno (h/t Football Italia) the 27-year-old will be solved at some point in the future if big offers keep arriving.

De Laurentiis had ruled out a January transfer and said a club made a £95 million offer for his services, per sportswriter David Amoyal:

Per Football Italia that club is believed to have been United.

The Red Devils have been linked with a series of centre-backs for a long time and Koulibaly has been suggested as one of the top targets since summer. He continues to impress for Napoli, having moved to Italy from Racing Genk in 2014.

Speculation picked up again after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho at the helm of United, with the January transfer window right around the corner.

The club is in need of reinforcements to make a push for the Premier League's top four and Koulibaly's statistics make it clear he would be exactly that:

But despite all of the rumours a transfer has never seemed likely. De Laurentiis is a notoriously difficult owner to negotiate with in the transfer market, and both he and Koulibaly have publicly insisted a move won't happen this season.

The Partenopei chase Juventus in the Serie A standings and still have a shot at the title, so De Laurentiis will want to keep his side intact. The new contract for Koulibaly is both a just reward and a way to convince him to spurn the Premier League suitors.