---
title: "Liverpool: Journalist says Reds prepared to pay asking price for Kalidou Koulibaly"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-journalist-says-reds-prepared-to-pay-asking-price-for-kalidou-koulibaly/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Nathan Linley"
section: "Liverpool Football Club"
published: "2020-10-22T06:30:03Z"
modified: "2020-10-22T06:30:03Z"
---

# Liverpool: Journalist says Reds prepared to pay asking price for Kalidou Koulibaly

**According to an Italian journalist, [Liverpool](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/liverpool/) are serious about signing Napoli defender [Kalidou Koulibaly](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tag/kalidou-koulibaly/) and The Reds could beat Manchester City to his signature in January.**

### Liverpool take the lead on Koulibaly

The 29-year-old had been [heavily linked](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2020/liverpool-trying-to-convince-kalidou-koulibaly-via-sadio-mane-le-parisien/) with a move to the Etihad Stadium all summer and looked likely to move to the Reds’ Premier League rivals before they signed Ruben Dias from Benfica for a club-record [£65m](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54331554#:~:text=Ruben%20Dias%3A%20Manchester%20City%20sign%20Benfica%20defender%20on%20six%2Dyear%20deal,-Last%20updated%20on&text=Manchester%20City%20have%20signed%2023,way%20for%20%C2%A313.7m.).

Koulibaly’s future has looked uncertain at the Serie A club for some time, which was compounded by his exclusion from a first-team friendly during pre-season and their club president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirming that he was on his way out (per Canale 21, via [FootballItalia](https://www.football-italia.net/158008/adl-koulibaly-and-milik-way-out)).

\[freshpress-quiz id=”313155″\]

This is a player who is [adored](https://www.goal.com/en-gh/news/diego-maradona-full-of-praise-for-napolis-koulibaly-after/1u3baypijmoqc1g03gv3fk1emm) by football legend Diego Maradona, who applauded the Senegal international following a victory over Juventus. During his time at Napoli, he has scored 10 times and provided five assists in 249 appearances for the club ([TransferMarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kalidou-koulibaly/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/93128)), and has been [described](https://www.football-italia.net/137120/ancelotti-koulibaly-worlds-best) as one of the best defenders in the world by his former boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Given Virgil van Dijk’s recent [injury](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/412585-virgil-van-dijk-knee-injury-surgery) and Joel Matip’s [fitness issues](https://twitter.com/_pauljoyce/status/1318536199154339841), Fabio Santini believes the Merseysiders will jump in headfirst to try and get their man,

[AreaNapoli](https://www.areanapoli.it/calciomercato/santini-boom-liverpool-offerti-75-milioni-per-koulibaly-colpo-a-sorpresa-per-gattuso_392587.html) quoted him saying that Liverpool are now the favourites to secure his services. “I have sensational news about Kalidou Koulibaly. Manchester City and United are \[in for\] the Senegalese defender as well as PSG. The club that is more serious for the Senegalese \[defender\] is Liverpool. The Reds \[will\] offer to Napoli a figure between €70 and €75 million, the sum that De Laurentiis asks \[for\].”

### Another Michael Edwards masterstroke

This summer, Liverpool made [£38m](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-liverpool/transfers/verein/31) from player sales, which is typically how they have secured the funds to make big-money signings of thier own.

If the Reds can afford it, they could well make a move for the [33-cap](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kalidou-koulibaly/nationalmannschaft/spieler/93128/verein_id/3499) international, which should delight the Kop faithful.

Thiago Alcantara’s arrival on Merseyside excited supporters and just like the Spaniard’s arrival, the signing of Koulibaly would send a huge message to the rest of the league that The Reds are not going to give up their title without a fight.

***In other news, [James Pearce provides an injury update that will excite Liverpool fans](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-fc-news/liverpool-james-pearce-gives-injury-update-on-alisson-becker/).***