Carlo Ancelotti has asked Real Madrid to sign his one-time Everton target Kalidou Koulibaly with Serie A giants Napoli facing a fight as they look to hang onto the £50 million superstar, as reported by Calciomercato.
Just weeks after signing on the dotted line at the Stadio San Paolo, new Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti is determined to ensure his reign does not begin with the departure of a long-serving fan favourite.
“To keep him, I will chain myself somewhere,” the former Roma and Inter Milan boss said last week, taking a ‘We Shall Not be Moved’ approach when asked about the prospect of Koulibaly being sold from underneath him.
“Find me something and I’ll chain myself there.”
Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis would obviously prefer to avoid undermining his manager so early into Spalletti’s tenure but, with Real Madrid now moving in for Koulibaly, one of Italy’s biggest clubs look set for a nervy end to the transfer window.
Will Carlo Ancelotti finally sign Kalidou Koulibaly… for Real Madrid?
Ancelotti once described Koulibaly as the ‘best centre-back in the world’ – insisting in 2019 that he was worth a staggering £130 million.
After Real Madrid lost both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in the same transfer window, the veteran tactician is turning to a familiar face as he looks to plug those defensive gaps.
According to Calciomercato, Ancelotti has asked Real president Florentino Perez to dip into those ‘Galatico’ reserves, just for old time’s sake.
But, even by Real’s standards, paying £50 million for a man who turned 30 a few weeks ago would make little financial sense, especially in the COVID era.
Everton were regularly linked with Koulibaly during Ancelotti’s reign. And do not make the mistake in assuming that, just because the former Chelsea boss has gone, we can draw a line under that particular saga.
Ancelotti’s successor, Rafa Benitez, was the man who brought Koulibaly to Italy in the first place, investing £6 million in the then-23-year-old stopper back in 2014. It is fair to say that proved to be a bargain.
According to reports, Everton had an offer turned down by Napoli earlier in June.
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