Despite clubs across Europe’s top five leagues spending less so far during the window, transfer rumours haven’t been in short supply.
As is now almost a yearly routine, Kalidou Koulibaly is reportedly attracting interest from several top continental sides.
Despite a sense that the Napoli centre-back’s ship has sailed as he’s now past his prime, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and recently Real Madrid have all been linked with a move for the Senegal superstar.
However, why is any transfer expected to materialise before August 31’s deadline likely to be tricky?
The principal reason has to be the uncompromising Aurelio De Laurentiis, who — depending on where you’re standing — frustratingly drives a hard bargain. The intransigent Napoli chairman has often infuriatingly failed to lower his demands for the former Genk defender over the years, seeing several interested parties walk away.
Last year, Manchester City were said to be in for the West African, but negotiations — supposedly conducted indirectly due to a prevalent animosity from Jorginho’s failed move in 2018 — unsurprisingly broke down.
While a possible move to the Etihad Stadium didn’t directly fail due to De Laurentiis’ unyielding nature, K2 seems star-crossed when it concerns getting that big move away.
According to multiple reports, the Azzurri value the centre-back at €60 million. While that fee, in the current market, may be seen as a bargain, many clubs will have reservations about paying that much for a player who clocked 30 in June and will be 31 after a year at any new side he joins.
Which club would be the best fit for Napoli & Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly?
— Goal Africa (@GoalAfrica) August 5, 2021
Clubs are predisposed to favouring shorter deals for players who aren’t in their 20s, so Koulibaly’s age already causes headaches to any interested side; due to Napoli’s reported asking price and the length of any potential contract if an agreement is reached with the Partenopei.
Throw in the elegant defender’s recent injury problems and those doubts are likely to double. The central defender missed 11 games in 2019/20 with muscle injuries and was absent for another 12 matches last season.
While contracting coronavirus played a little part in 20/21’s statistic, any attracted side will worry over the 30-year-old, whose Serie A appearances in the two preceding campaigns are 25 and 26. Having featured in 35 league games each in 17/18 and 18/19, the drop in the last couple of campaigns raises further eyebrows.
Questions also arise about clubs said to be courting the experienced defender in the current window: Paris Saint-Germain already signed 35-year-old Sergio Ramos on a free transfer and may be unwilling to bring in another player also in his 30s, Manchester United have agreed to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid (taking their centre-back options to four—Harry Maguire, Varane, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly) and Bayern Munich have already distanced themselves from any possible move for the Senegalese.
“We brought [Dayot] Upamecano to Munich and are well-positioned in defence,” was Hasan Salihamidzic’s brief response to K2 links recently.
With Real, there’s a feeling they need a centre-back option following the departures of Ramos and Varane.
Koulibaly’s expertise evidently solves a need in a position where there’s a perceived dearth of options at present, but it remains to be seen if Florentino Perez — believed to have been quiet in recent windows hoping to make a splash on either Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland — sanctions a big-money move for the defender who ought to relish working with Carlo Ancelotti again.
If new boss Luciano Spalletti’s recent comments about the CB are anything to go by, the former Roma manager will do all it takes to retain his star defender for the 21/22 campaign.
“To keep [Koulibaly] here I will chain myself somewhere,” Spalletti remarked at a press conference in July. “Find me something I can chain myself to - and I will hold onto Koulibaly so that he doesn't leave.”
His post-match comments after a 1-0 victory over Serie C side Pro Vercelli were interesting: “I will be very happy if the squad remains as it is,” said the coach via Football Italia. “I only named Koulibaly because he’s on the market, but I’d like him to stay. I have never worked with anyone so good, not just as a player, but also as a man.”
Indeed, August will be an interesting month with several sides across Europe scrambling to get deals done for the new season. While Koulibaly’s club appears adamant over a possible transfer, there may be a couple of twists and turns that eventually accelerate the defender’s rather overdue departure from Naples.