da bwin： The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland has claimed that it would be a “monumental ask” for the club to sign Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly in his latest Q&A with fans.
What’s the word, then?
da leao： Well, Corriere della Sera, via Inside Futbol, reported last month that new Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti was keen to sign the Senegal international, who is rated at £67.5m by Transfermarkt.
Boyland was asked about transfer links with Napoli players and whether any moves were likely during a Q&A with fans on The Athletic on Friday, and Koulibaly was one of the players he name-checked.
He responded: “Feel a lot of it is 2+2=5 stuff. Zielinski unlikely as Napoli see him as someone with real potential, and Koulibaly would be a monumental ask.”
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He’s not wrong
The 28-year-old has established himself as one of the top centre-backs in European football during his time with Napoli, with teammate Lorenzo Insigne even claiming last year that he is the very best – a big statement given how well Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk is performing and after he finished second in the 2019 Ballon d’Or.
He was also voted as the best defender in Serie A last season, and you would think that if he was to leave Naples anytime soon, he would have his fair share of suitors among some of the top clubs in Europe.
Everton then would likely find it hard to compete with them in that case, as well as splashing the cash in terms of transfer fees and wages on a player who turns 29 years of age in six months’ time.
WhoScored list the African’s strengths as his passing and his tackling, and it would be difficult to argue that he would be a huge upgrade on the likes of Mason Holgate and Michael Keane – the latter in particular has come under criticism from supporters for his displays this term.
A deal looks unlikely though according to Boyland, so Toffees fans may have to write that rumour off for now at least.
In other Everton news, Patrick Boyland has picked out a “false” claim in The Financial Times report about Alisher Usmanov and the Merseyside club…