Barcelona Eyes Napoli's Koulibaly, Other Young Center Backs to Reinforce Defense
Barcelona are reportedly set to pursue a deal for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the January transfer window as they look to reinforce their centre of defence, but the 26-year-old could cost up to €50m.
The centre-back, who stands at 1.95m, has established himself at the heart of Maurizio Sarri’s side due to his physical presence, composure on the ball and confidence in duels with the opposition. His supreme talent saw the Italian club lock the defender down to a new five-year deal last year - with no release clause.
Despite renewing his terms at Stadio San Paolo, Koulibaly continues to receive interest from across Europe and according to Sport Diary, via Corriere dello Sport, Barcelona have put the defender on the top of their wish list and are keen to bring him to Camp Nou as soon as January.
The Catalan newspaper also reports Barcelona are eager to add two central defenders to the fold in January, and if a deal for Koulibaly proves difficult to complete over the fee than the Spanish giants will turn to Borussia Dortmund's Dan-Axel Zagadou and Monaco's Adama Diakhaby.
With Zagadou and Diakhaby 18-years-old and 21-years-old respectively, the duo could prove to be more financially appealing as they have yet to establish themselves as a world beater like Koulibaly has.
The French defenders have both yet to make their senior debut for their country, with Zagadou making 36 appearances through various age groups, whilst Diakhaby has four caps for the Under-21 side.
