With Liverpool seemingly on the verge of buying Ibrahima Konaté from RB Leipzig and Manchester City stacked at the centre-back position after their big spending spree last year, only a couple of realistic suitors are left for Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Senegalese defender has been the object of desire for a number of big clubs over the years, but Napoli, or should we say Aurelio De Laurentiis, made things difficult for them by asking a lot of money.
Manchester City came close last year, but it could be their local rivals, Manchester United, who end up getting the player this summer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side desperately need an experienced defender to play next to Harry Maguire.
Gazzetta dello Sport look at the upcoming transfer window for the Serie A club, who will likely welcome Luciano Spalletti as their new manager, and focus for a bit on Koulibaly.
It’s stated that while the player is still there after two years of receiving bids for him, ‘his value has significantly lowered’ this season, due to both the financial crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and his age.
Koulibaly will turn 30 next month, meaning that while he will be entering the peak years of his career, he is also closer to retirement than not.
It’s stated that both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested, but as stated above, Manchester City and the Reds don’t really make sense.
Manchester United were unable to see off Villarreal on Wednesday night in the Europa League final, and while their defence weren’t specifically at fault for their demise, Maguire’s absence was felt and Victor Lindelöf and Eric Bailly never fully exuded confidence.
That’s something Solskjaer will need to address, and it appears there’s no better time than now to make a move for Koulibaly, who will bring experience and talent aplenty for a seemingly reasonable price.
