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What's the story?
According to reports, Napoli are willing to sell Kalidou Koulibaly this summer if a club agrees to pay the defender's release clause, which is reportedly worth €150 million.
In case you didn't know...
Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the most in-demand centre-backs in Europe at the moment. The 28-year-old Senegalese defender has been hugely impressive in the last couple of years for Napoli and is wanted by some of the elite clubs across Europe, namely Manchester United, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
Out of the few clubs, Manchester United have been constantly linked to Koulibaly. The Red Devils are looking to bolster their defence this summer and the 28-year-old has been one of their chief targets this summer.
The heart of the matter
According to Football Italia, Napoli are willing to sell their star defender if a club agrees to pay his €150 million release clause. Previously, Napoli have been adamant that the player will not be sold for any price this summer.
In a recent interview, the Serie A player admitted the uncertainty over his future. He said,
I don’t know, I think so but I have to play the AFCON and then after that I’ll go back to Napoli.”
“Everyone’s speaking about me, but I’m only speaking about Senegal, because that’s my objective today and I want to achieve something big with Senegal."
“Senegal achieved something great today. I am 200 percent with Senegal and 200% with the 15 million Senegalese people."
“I’m relaxed, I want to focus on the Afcon and after that return to Napoli and we’ll see what happens."
While the defender is currently focused on AFCON, Sky Sport Italia's Napoli correspondent wrote that,
“Koulibaly has a release clause of €150m.”
“Those interested in the player know how much they have to spend.”
With this huge price tag, not many clubs are able to afford Koulibaly.
What's next?
Manchester United are a keen suitor of the Napoli player and they are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements.
Although it seems highly unlikely that a club can afford the €150 million release clause of the player, anything could happen when Manchester United are involved. The Red Devils are busy strengthening their squad and will be hoping to get a couple of signings over the line before the pre-season starts.
