Barcelona keen to buy Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly
Karan Tejwani
- 5 May 2022 12:23 BST
- 5 min read
Barcelona are still keeping an eye on Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, hoping to make a transfer work out when the transfer window opens this summer.
The Blaugrana have been interested in the player for a long time and are eager to add him to their ranks to bolster their back-line.
Manager Xavi is keen to make a deal for the player happen, and has asked the club to contact Koulibaly’s agent, asking him to postpone a possible contract renewal with Napoli.
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Koulibaly’s contract with the Serie A side runs out next season, and the club are keen to extend, but will listen to offers of around €40 million for the player.
Why do Barcelona want Koulibaly?
Barcelona see Koulibaly as the long-term successor to Gerard Pique, who is approaching the final years of his career and has had some troubling injury issues in recent times.
The Catalan side want Koulibaly and Ronald Araujo – who recently extended his contract until 2026 – as their long-term partnership, with Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen as the back-up options.
Christensen, of course, is still a Chelsea player but his contract runs out at the end of the season and he is expected to move to the Camp Nou at the end of his deal.
That would mean the sale of defenders currently at the club, and the French pairing of Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet are likely to go – both have failed to make an impact at the club in recent years.
This deal will be tough for Barcelona to complete as Napoli are still in talks to extend the player’s deal until 2026, when Koulibaly is 34, and he is adored at the club.
Barcelona are still keeping their options open, though, and also reportedly sounded out Alessio Romagnoli, who is set to leave Milan following the expiry of his contract this summer, in case a move for Koulibaly can’t be made.
