‘He’s happy here’: Director plays down reports linking £90m star to Liverpool

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Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli has poured cold water on speculation linking Liverpool with Kalidou Koulibaly, telling Sky Italia the defender is “happy” and has three years left on his contract.

With Virgil van Dijk sidelined until potentially the middle of 2021, who better to replace the ‘finest centre-half on the planet’ than the closest challenger to his throne?

This week, Calciomercato reported Liverpool could turn to Koulibaly, a man they have been linked with relentlessly in recent years, to fill a Van Dijk-shaped hole at the heart of their back line.

But in truth, the chances of the Senegal powerhouse swapping Stadio San Paolo for Anfield in the near future appear slim.

It isn’t Liverpool’s style to blow their budget on a player with limited resale value and Koulibaly, who will be 30 this time next year, isn’t getting any younger.

After top-flight rivals Manchester City opted for the younger Ruben Diaz instead, there’s a nagging feeling a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs may have passed Koulibaly by.

“Keeping him this summer was less difficult than in other transfer windows,” Giuntoli admits.

“With a three-year contract he was happy to stay, without any problems or difficulties. He is very happy here.”

Calciomercato has also touted Dayot Upamecano, Milan Skriniar and Jose Maria Gimenez as alternative options and all three feel distinctly more like ‘typical Liverpool signings’ than Koulibaly.

Especially when you consider Napoli owner Aurelio di Laurentiis is demanding £90 million – a fee that would make the 29-year-old the most expensive defender in history (Corriere dello Sport).