Manchester United Keen On Stealing Man City Prospect To Replace Inconsistent Defender, Report Says

Both Manchester clubs are reportedly competing to sign Inter Milan center-back Milan Skriniar this summer.

Manchester United seems to have been chasing defenders ahead of the transfer window. As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side starts to make moves for possible signings, they ran across their Premier League rivals Manchester City. Reports revealed that the two Manchester clubs are now pursuing in-demand center-back Skriniar.

According to Tuttosport (via Teamtalk), Pep Guardiola’s side has already made an offer to Skriniar. However, United has reportedly attempted to match its rival’s bid to sign the Slovakian defender with a €65 million ($73.5 million) offer.

Despite the strong interest and impressive offer from City and United, Inter Milan and Skriniar are still not lured, reportedly having already rejected proposals from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as well.

Skriniar was once viewed as a talented defender who could reach his peak in the near future. However, the 25-year-old has failed to adapt to a three-man defense under Antonio Conte’s system at Inter.

Reports suggested that due to Skriniar’s evident struggle, Inter will now “evaluate any offers to understand what is best to do” with their defender. In addition, it has been said that the Slovakian’s decline in performance might have an effect on his current value.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils are also dealing with the same issue as Skriniar’s. It can be recalled that United made a lump-sum payment to sign Harry Maguire last summer. Ideally, Maguire and Victor Lindelof should have worked together to enforce tight defense, but the latter hasn’t been consistent with his performance.

It has been said that the lack of chemistry in the defensive end prompted United to search for a replacement. Skriniar apparently makes a good candidate, but the Red Devils have also been linked to Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Much like Skriniar, Koulibaly is also being targeted by a list of clubs across Europe’s top five leagues. Aside from Man United, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal are also reportedly monitoring the Napoli star.

The Gunners were the latest reported suitors of Koulibaly as Mikel Arteta has been working on building a solid defensive team next season. Sources claimed that Napoli is currently demanding £80 million ($90.3 million) as a transfer fee for the Senegal central defender.

However, Koulibaly recently asserted that he has no plans of leaving Napoli at this point and that he wants to end his career with the club.