Kalidou Koulibaly Uncertain of Napoli Future Amid Manchester United Rumours

Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly has said he doesn't know if he will be playing at the Italian club in the upcoming season amid ongoing rumours Manchester United are interested in his signature.

Koulibaly, 28, is away at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and played the full 90 minutes as his Senegal side opened their tournament with a 2-0 win over Tanzania on Sunday.

When asked whether he would remain at Napoli, Koulibaly told Goal: "I don't know [if I'll still be at Napoli next year], I think so, but I have to play the AFCON and then after that I'll go back to Napoli. Everyone's speaking about me, but I'm only speaking about Senegal, because that's my objective today and I want to achieve something big with Senegal.” 

The BBC's John Bennett posted similar quotes from Koulibaly, who reiterated international success with Senegal was his main priority for the time being:

Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may struggle to lure a player of Koulibaly's quality without UEFA Champions League football. United finished sixth in the Premier League last season and will return to Europe's second-tier competition, the UEFA Europa League, next term.

Koulibaly's Senegal are joint-leaders of Group C alongside Algeria, and the defender emphasised how important the Africa Cup of Nations is despite the gossip surrounding his club future:

"I don't want to talk about my future today, I prefer to talk about Senegal. Senegal achieved something great today. I am 200 per cent with Senegal and 200 per cent with the 15 million Senegalese people. I'm relaxed, I want to focus on the AFCON and after that return to Napoli and we'll see what happens. The most important thing now is to win with Senegal.” 

Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Metro's Coral Barry) reported United are ready to make an £85 million offer for Koulibaly this summer. 

Goal mentioned Manchester City hold an interest in the player, but the Telegraph's James Ducker wrote earlier in June that City won't compete for his signature:

Koulibaly moved to the Stadio San Paolo from Belgian outfit Genk in 2014. Napoli finished fifth in Serie A at the end of his first season but have since managed four successive top-three placements, including back-to-back runner-up finishes to Juventus the past two campaigns.

Juventus have won Italy's top-flight title for the past eight seasons in a row, though sportswriter David Amoyal hinted at a potential shift in power:

Napoli aren't under a great deal of pressure considering their player signed a new contract until 2023 in September last year.

However, the fact that Koulibaly didn't commit to Napoli outright in his comments could be of interest to potential buyers, and an elite central defender remains a priority at Old Trafford this summer.