Liverpool have been told what it’ll take to sign Kalidou Koulibaly.
Napoli have named their price for their star centre-back, who has played 255 games for the Italian outfit. The Reds injury crisis has forced sporting director Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp to consider their options ahead of the January window, and the Senegal international may be one.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have been struck down with random knee injuries, while Joel Matip is historically unreliable. Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams made impressive initial forays into their professional career, but are inexperienced.
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Koulibaly for some time now, and Napoli could look to capitalize on any perceived desperation by claiming top dollar for their man.
Area Napoli claimed that Koulibaly, who is 30 in June, would be available for £63 million, while the Mirror reported that the Reds are interesting in signing the centre-back.
Edwards and Klopp have been resistant to panic buying and often think more than one window ahead of the game, but they wouldn’t have planned for anything like this and must be tempted to look towards the market.
However, selling clubs will know that Liverpool are approaching them from a position of weakness and will be well placed to ramp up their valuation of players.
If Matip, and this is a big if, can get through most of the season unscathed, he’ll be able to form a solid base with Fabinho. But that’s a massive ask, and judging from the past two seasons, one that is beyond the ex-Schalke player.
Expecting Williams or Phillips to play to a Premier League level could be damaging to Liverpool’s title hopes, even it will serve to be an excellent learning experience for both inexperienced players.
£63 million is a lot for someone who will be 30 at the start of next season, but will the Reds transfer team blink?