MX23RW : Wednesday, April 23 07:42:32| >> :60:839:839:

Shirt numbers available for Kalidou Koulibaly at Manchester United

Sports Mole looks at the shirt numbers available for defender Kalidou Koulibaly at Manchester United should he make the move from Napoli.

Manchester United are reportedly closing in on the signing of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

The 28-year-old is a long-term target for United and is said to have been made available to purchase for £74m this summer.

Having broke the transfer record to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City last year, the Red Devils are supposedly eager to further strengthen at the back as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attempts to puzzle together a title-winning side.

Seeing off competition from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain for Koulibaly would be seen as a huge statement of intent, but there is still work to be done to get a deal over the line.

Here, Sports Mole looks at the shirt numbers available for the Senegal international at Old Trafford should he arrive during this summer's transfer window.


Kalidou Koulibaly in action for Napoli on October 2, 2019© Reuters

Koulibaly wears the number '26' for Napoli and has done since joining the Italian club in 2014.

That shirt is currently owned by Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who has not played for United in the last three years but was recently awarded a new contract.

Former Genk and Metz defender Koulibaly has also previously sported the numbers 'five' and '25' on his back, though both of those are also taken at Old Trafford.

Maguire is in possession of 'five' and is unlikely to give up ownership of that anytime soon, while '25' is Odion Ighalo's, though his loan deal is only due to run until the end of the season.

'Four' is the other number associated with central defenders, and that may soon be freed up should Phil Jones depart the club at the end of the campaign.

The number '12' shirt may also soon become available, meanwhile, given the uncertainty surrounding Chris Smalling's future, while '16' is also up for grabs at this moment in time.

'Eleven', usually worn by attacking players, is the most notable number that is unoccupied, while further down the list '19', '27' and '30' are up for grabs.

ID:396941: cacheID:396941:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4401:
Written by
Daniel Lewis
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Kalidou Koulibaly in action for Napoli on October 2, 2019
Read Next:
Man Utd 'in constant contact with Koulibaly'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool33247275314479
2Arsenal331812361273466
3Manchester CityMan City34187966432361
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest33186953391460
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331851062441859
6Chelsea33169858401857
7Aston Villa3416995449557
8Bournemouth3313101052401249
9Fulham33139114845348
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton33121295353048
11Brentford33137135650646
12Crystal Palace331111114145-444
13Everton33814113440-638
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd33108153846-838
15Wolverhampton WanderersWolves33115174861-1338
16Tottenham HotspurSpurs331141861511037
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham3399153755-1836
18Ipswich TownIpswich3349203371-3821
19Leicester CityLeicester3346232773-4618
20Southampton3325262478-5411


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!