Manchester United and Chelsea are in contention to sign Napoli defender and Barcelona target Kalidou Koulibaly, who is available for €35 million this summer.
According to Area Napoli, Kalidou Koulibaly is increasingly likely to leave Napoli at the end of the season amid interest from various clubs across Europe. Manchester United and Chelsea have emerged as the two potential destinations for the highly-experienced centre-back, with the clubs in contact with the player’s agent Fali Ramadani. Barcelona are also interested in the defender.
Napoli have no intention to back down from their €35 million price-tag. Ramadani remains hopeful a few of Koulibaly’s suitors can afford to meet such demands, with his best bet being Chelsea.
The Blues are gearing up for a busy summer ahead as they look to deal with the exit of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona lately due to a gentleman’s pact he had with the previous ownership led by Roman Abramovich.
The departures of these three defenders could create a massive hole in the Chelsea backline and that is where Koulibaly comes into the fray. The Senegalese international offers vast experience at the highest level of football and can help Chelsea lead their defensive rebuild.
Another club in contention to sign the Napoli defender are Manchester United. Much like their league rivals, the Red Devils are anticipating a few sales including Eric Bailly, who has become a shock target for Newcastle United while Phil Jones will be allowed the leave the club as well.
Manchester United are further worried about the dip in performances from Harry Maguire and the injury woes of Raphael Varane, so the addition of an experienced leader like Koulibaly could go a long way in strengthening the ranks for Erik ten Hag.
One other club tracking the situation of Koulibaly are FC Barcelona. But due to their financial crisis, the Catalans are not in a position to match Napoli’s price tag, leaving Manchester United and Chelsea as the two frontrunners in the race to sign the Senegalese international, along with Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG and Chelsea have the upper hand as they are likelier to fork out the €35 million, but Manchester United cannot be ruled out due to the sports project offered by ten Hag and the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Varane and Bruno Fernandes. It remains to be seen where Koulibaly ends up come next season.
