Juventus have identified Kalidou Koulibaly as a potential replacement for Matthijs de Ligt, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea and Bayern Munich lately.
According to Il Mattino, Napoli will offer Kalidou Koulibaly a fixed salary of €5 million per season plus €1 million in additional bonuses in an attempt to renew his contract at the club.
Napoli want to extend the player’s current terms, which expire in June 2023. There is Juventus showing interest in the Senegalese, who has reportedly shown no intention of playing for another Italian club after leaving Napoli.Â
Massimiliano Allegri sees Koulibaly as a suitable replacement for Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutchman is closing in on a summer transfer to Bayern Munich. After concluding the transfer for the Dutchman, Juve are willing to launch a bid of around €30 million for the centre-back.
The Bianconeri are also ready to offer the player an annual salary of between €6.5 million and €7 million. Besides Koulibaly, Juventus have also been keeping tabs on Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenković for some time.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis doesn’t intend to sell the 31-year-old defender to one of the Italian rivals and a direct competitor for the Champions League spots. Chelsea and Barcelona are the two foreign clubs paying attention to the Senegalese’s availability.
But Napoli will still try their best to keep hold of one of their most valued assets. With Luciano Spalletti pushing De Laurentiis for Koulibaly’s renewal, there is also a possibility that Koulibaly could become the club’s next captain after the departure of Lorenzo Insigne.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
