Koulibaly should be Liverpool’s only January transfer target, says Barnes

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
• 2 min read

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly should be the only player Liverpool target in the January transfer window, according to former player John Barnes. 

The 29-year-old defender has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League since Liverpool began to lose central defenders to long-term injuries. 

According to Barnes, Koulibaly would not only offer cover for the injured Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, but would also be a first team player that could improve Jurgen Klopp’s defensive line. 

As such, he thinks the Senegal international would be the only ideal January signing for Klopp’s side. 

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Barnes saoid: “If Koulibaly comes, he’s a player that could play alongside Van Dijk when he returns so it would be easy to talk Koulibaly into joining Liverpool, unlike some other top players, because he’s a person that if he comes would go straight into the first team and play every match.

“Aside from Koulibaly, I don’t think there’s anyone out there that Liverpool would look to get in January.

“If Liverpool are unable to get anyone to improve the first team then why sign a new player?”

Following an awkward summer ordeal which involved Manchester City indirectly announcing the signing of the player on their website, before the Premier League decided against matching Napoli’s £72m asking price, Koulibaly has remained coy on the matter of a move in January. 

When asked about the prospect of him leaving Italy next month, the defender said: “I love Naples and Naples loves me, that’s the most important thing.

“I always make myself available game after game, I still have three years of contract, I’m calm, the teams are looking for me but I’m still here.

“I play at my level and I help this team and these people because I want to give something back to them then we’ll see what happens.”