Liverpool face Paris Saint-Germain threat in race for Kalidou Koulibaly

According to the French publication L’Equipe (h/t Daily Mail), Liverpool will face competition from French champions Paris Saint-Germain in their aim to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Parisians have identified the Senegalese star as the perfect replacement for Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva. With the skipper set to turn 36 this year, Thomas Tuchel has earmarked a replacement for him as one of his four priority signings.

Koulibaly is set to leave Napoli with a number of top teams keen. Although Liverpool and Real Madrid have been linked with a move, PSG have been reported to hold the upper hand.

PSG’s director of football Leonardo has had an experience of dealing with Napoli before. He had earlier negotiated the transfers of Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi to the Parc des Princes.

Koulibaly, who has had an injury-hit season, is contracted to Napoli until 2023. Hence, he has made just 21 appearances this season. The Senegalese will not come cheap with the Italians unwilling to reduce their asking price of £89m.

This will dwarf the fee the Reds paid for Virgil van Dijk two years ago. It will also break the world record for the most expensive defender ever.

Liverpool already have a number of Africa’s top talents at the club. Mohamed Salah, Naby Keita, Joel Matip, and Sadio Mane are some of the continent’s finest.

Koulibaly is one of the world’s best defenders. Adding him to the mix will not only improve our backline but also improve our profile in the African continent.

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Liverpool already have a formidable centre-back pairing in Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. Signing the Senegalese will limit the latter’s chances and cut short what has so far been an excellent partnership.

With the club not immune to the financial fallout due to the coronavirus crisis, such a layout is not exactly a priority at the moment.