Barcelona and Chelsea reportedly want to sign Kalidou Koulibaly
Chelsea were yesterday linked with a swoop for Koulibaly, who impressed in the heart of Napoli’s defence last season.
Reports in Italy claimed Chelsea are willing to push for the centre-back in the summer and are aware that Napoli will demand up to £62million for his services.
Koulibaly has played a key role in helping Napoli move to the top of Serie A, having played every minute of their season so far.
And his performances have supposedly caught the eye of Barcelona as well.
According to Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo, manager Ernesto Valverde is seriously eyeing up the Senegal international.
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Barcelona supposedly believe Napoli are asking too much for Kalidou Koulibaly (top left)
GETTY
Barcelona are monitoring Kalidou Koulibaly's progress
It is claimed that Koulibaly has an agreement with Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis to sit down and consider transfer offers at the end of the season.
Koulibaly is supposedly open to leaving Naples after three years in the city.
The 26-year-old joined Napoli in 2014 after a two-year stint at Genk, having started his professional career at French side Metz.
The French national, who earned his first Senegal cap in 2015, is deemed too expensive at his current valuation by Barca’s technical director and transfer guru Robert Fernandez, Mundo Deportivo claim.
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However, the club have not given up hope on a deal next summer, with scouts regularly watching Napoli games while they also assess Koulibaly’s team-mate Lorenzo Insigne.
As for Chelsea, they failed to land Koulibaly or Leonardo Bonucci before the start of the season and eventually settled on Roma’s Antonio Rudiger.
However, Antonio Conte is supposedly still keen to sign Koulibaly before another European rival muscle in.