Liverpool are set to battle Chelsea for the signing of a top defender from Serie A. Kalidou Koulibaly had been linked with a move to Antonio Conte’s side at the start of the season but recent reports now claim that the Merseyside club are interested in bringing the centre-back to the Premier League as well.

The Reds have struggled for clean sheets this season and have had numerous problems with their centre-back pairing. Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip have had to deal with a number of injuries and with Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho all but sure of leaving the club, Jurgen Klopp is looking to bring in a quality central defender to the Merseyside club according to Goal.

Koulibaly is one of the better defenders in the Serie A and the Napoli star is known for his ability to pass from the back while also being a no-nonsense tackler; something that Liverpool could do with next season.

Surprisingly Koulibaly isn’t the first choice target for the German manager, as Klopp still wants Liverpool to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton but the Dutch defender will cost the Reds a lot of money.

This is precisely the reason why the manager is keeping tabs on the Senegalese defender and the Reds could move for him should the Merseyside club be priced out from signing Van Dijk.

Koulibaly wouldn’t come on the cheap either as reports suggest that the Reds and Blues will have to stump out close to £60million, which is a huge amount considering the fact that Koulibaly is still 25 years of age.

The Senegalese would be a decent option for Liverpool to have, but the price-tag is certainly a little too steep for their liking. They could end up signing Van Dijk for the same amount and that would be a better investment for the Merseyside club than getting Koulibaly.

Klopp knows he has to start his improvement from the back as he looks towards a better campaign next season and a quality central defender is a must for the Merseyside club.