Marash Kumbulla has handed Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool a boost by rejecting the chance to sign for Napoli, according to Calciomercato.
Despite boasting arguably the greatest centre-half in world football right now, a certain Senegal powerhouse by the name of Kalidou Koulibaly, Gennaro Gattuso’s side have not exactly been watertight this season.
With 36 goals conceded in just 26 matches, an underperforming Napoli team have the worst defensive record in the top nine in Serie A.
So you can understand why a team that has shot themselves in the foot on an almost weekly basis would show an interest in one of the most coveted young centre-backs in the game. But, according to reports in Italy, the £23 million-rated Kumbulla has turned his nose up at the chance to swap Hellas Verona for the Stadio San Paolo.
Calciomercato claims that Napoli president Aurelio di Laurentiis had pretty much sealed the deal – only for Kumbulla to ‘wreck the operation’.
And considering that three Premier League giants are scouring the market for a new defensive addition, this will be music to the ears of Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho.
Everton have been linked via Gazetta dello Sport, although they will face competition for his £25 million-rated signature from Liverpool (TuttoNapoli) and Tottenham Hotspur (FirenzeViola).
And a player who has been labelled the new Giorgio Chiellini by some in Italy might be about to find himself at the heart of a Europe-wide tug-of-war.
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