Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea are likely to battle it out to sign Napoli’s Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
According to a report by Transfer Market Web, Kalidou Koulibaly, who is valued at around £48 million, has now come under Liverpool’s radar despite firmly being a Chelsea target for a long time now.
The Serie A giants had earlier snubbed repeated bids made by the Blues for their prized asset. However, Napoli bigwig Aurelio De Laurentiis is now open to losing Koulibaly to the Premier League clubs if they come calling this summer.
Kalidou Koulibaly is a centre-back who has been a constant presence in the Napoli playing eleven since signing from Belgian side Genk back in 2014. Although he played for France at youth level, he now plays his international football for Senegal. He signed a new deal with Napoli in September, which formally binds him to the club until June 2021.
However, that is unlikely to go through now considering Chelsea and Liverpool are both vying to sign Koulibaly.
Koulibaly has made 36 appearances for Napoli this season in all competitions, and even chipped in with a goal. He has also made about 32 Europa League appearances in his career to date, and 10 in the Champions League. The fact that he is experienced in playing Europe’s top competitions will also come as an advantage for both clubs.
Chelsea and Liverpool are both looking to solidify their back line ahead of Champions League commitments next season. The Blues had to bid adieu to their veteran skipper John Terry and will be in search of a player who can fill his place.
It might not be an easy task to replace Terry, but Koulibaly has the potential to carve a place for himself in the team. He is strong and crafty at intercepting passes which helps in restraining the opposition from scoring goals, thus making him an ideal target for the Reds as well.
Liverpool need to find a commanding defender after having struggled in terms of defence throughout the campaign. Unlike Chelsea, Koulibaly will be guaranteed starts and enough playing time at Liverpool, which might push him to choose Jurgen Klopp’s side over Antonio Conte.
Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea are likely to battle it out to sign Napoli’s Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
According to a report by Transfer Market Web, Kalidou Koulibaly, who is valued at around £48 million, has now come under Liverpool’s radar despite firmly being a Chelsea target for a long time now.
The Serie A giants had earlier snubbed repeated bids made by the Blues for their prized asset. However, Napoli bigwig Aurelio De Laurentiis is now open to losing Koulibaly to the Premier League clubs if they come calling this summer.
Kalidou Koulibaly is a centre-back who has been a constant presence in the Napoli playing eleven since signing from Belgian side Genk back in 2014. Although he played for France at youth level, he now plays his international football for Senegal. He signed a new deal with Napoli in September, which formally binds him to the club until June 2021.
However, that is unlikely to go through now considering Chelsea and Liverpool are both vying to sign Koulibaly.
Koulibaly has made 36 appearances for Napoli this season in all competitions, and even chipped in with a goal. He has also made about 32 Europa League appearances in his career to date, and 10 in the Champions League. The fact that he is experienced in playing Europe’s top competitions will also come as an advantage for both clubs.
Chelsea and Liverpool are both looking to solidify their back line ahead of Champions League commitments next season. The Blues had to bid adieu to their veteran skipper John Terry and will be in search of a player who can fill his place.
It might not be an easy task to replace Terry, but Koulibaly has the potential to carve a place for himself in the team. He is strong and crafty at intercepting passes which helps in restraining the opposition from scoring goals, thus making him an ideal target for the Reds as well.
Liverpool need to find a commanding defender after having struggled in terms of defence throughout the campaign. Unlike Chelsea, Koulibaly will be guaranteed starts and enough playing time at Liverpool, which might push him to choose Jurgen Klopp’s side over Antonio Conte.