For some years Liverpool’s defensive system was actually very questionable in England. Thankfully, that naturally changed since the arrival of Dutchman Virgil van Dijk, who has become the best defender in the world in recent seasons.
However, the Reds don’t want to stop there, and now they want Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly to form the so-called “perfect” duo alongside Virgil. And what a duo of center-backs would it be!
According to “Tuttomercatoweb”, Liverpool has already made the first contact with the Italians to sign the Neapolitan defender. Apparently, Napoli is even considering negotiating the defender, but only for a high price, even after the pandemic.
According to the publication, Napoli agrees to sell Koulibaly because it’s unlikely that they will have UEFA Champions League football next season, and it will do some damage to the club’s budget for next season.
And Koulibaly is not that cheap, so the Cameroonian defender can be the escape valve to acquire resources in the transfer window. In addition, Napoli staff believes that Manolas and Maksimovic have the capacity to take care of business, without further risks.
Meanwhile, Liverpool wants to remain at the top of European football for a long time, even after they got knocked out by Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
It was one of the last games in Europe, and even in the world where fans were allowed in the stadium. On that night at Anfield, Liverpool won Atleti 1-0 in normal time but ended up losing 3-2 in the extra time, as Diego Simeone’s men got a heroic qualification in the worst atmosphere for visitors to play in Europe.
It’s also being speculated that the Reds could involve Joel Matip plus money to land the signing of Koulibaly. Napoli’s defender’s price would be something ranging from 60 to 100 million euros, and that’s a lot for a defender.
Not saying he’s not worth it, but I just don’t see things going on for this price. However, Koulibaly is a superb defender, and I’m sure that if Klopp put his magic German hands on him, he can even surpass Virgil.