Premier League club Everton has recently joined the race to sign the Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli this season. The centre-back has been next to impenetrable at the back for the Serie A club for the last few seasons. Current Premier League leaders Chelsea are also looking to sign the mercurial defender as a replacement for their departing captain John Terry.
The Merseyside club is not having a very good season, as present coach Ronald Koeman will be far from satisfied with the defensive display of his team. In this situation, the Senegalese defender is regarded to be a valuable inclusion to the Premier League club if he is allowed to leave this summer.
Koulibaly has been a part of the Napoli’s side since 2014. He has been instrumental in taking Napoli to the highest level in European competitions as well as domestic tournaments. He has featured in 81 games so far for the Italian side and has been an integral part of the club from the time of his arrival.
Koulibaly has been influential in the defence for Napoli throughout the season. The 25-year-old has the ability to hold onto the ball for a significant period of time. He is also equipped with an excellent ability to pass the ball to his teammates in the attacking third as well as the ability to shake off the opposition players with his dribbling skills.
The Senegalese defender can play short passes with his teammates to initiate attacks in the opposition half. However, he has a knack of committing fouls while indulging in needless tackles against opposition players which can be frustrating.
The Italian club has said recently that they might let the 25-year-old leave at the end of the season, subject to the player’s agreement to the proposal. Chelsea tried to rope in the Senegalese defender last summer, but the deal fell through and the Blues were compelled to sign Brazilian centre-back David Luiz from Paris Saint-German for £50 million.
Reportedly, Napoli has slapped an insane price tag of £60 million on the Senegalese defender for the clubs who are interested in his signature at the end of the season
Everton coach Ronald Koeman might be happy with the performance of his mercurial striker Romelu Lukaku, but the defence has been a headache for the influential Dutchman throughout the current season. He will hope that Koulibaly will be able to handle the defensive duties in an efficient way after his arrival at the Merseyside this summer.
