Liverpool ‘confident’ of beating Man City to signing of £90m-rated Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly – by offering Dejan Lovren
Liverpool ‘are confident’ they can beat Manchester City to the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly by offering Dejan Lovren as part of the deal, reports claim.
Despite only being crowned Premier League champions last Thursday, the Reds are already pressing ahead with their summer transfer plans.
Napoli defender Koulibaly has been the subject of interest from several Premier League sides over the past two years, with City and rivals Manchester United both keen on the Senegal international.
A dominating centre-half with the ability to play out from the back, the 29-year-old was seemingly set to move to the Etihad after expressing a desire to play for Pep Guardiola.
However, according to , Liverpool believe they can get the Serie A side to lower their £90million valuation by offering Lovren to sweeten the deal.
30-year-old Croatia international Lovren has made just ten Premier League appearances this season and has 12 months remaining on his current deal at the club. Joe Gomez is Jurgen Klopp's first-choice defensive partner for Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip is the deputy.
Napoli president Aurelio De Lautentiis had previously claimed his club would reject any bid for their star man which was below £60m, with City’s bid reportedly in the region of £72m.
But Klopp is keen to chuck a proverbial spanner into City’s transfer plans as they seek redemption after being so comprehensively stripped of their title.
Koulibaly moved to Naples in 2014 and has become an integral member of a squad which has pushed Juventus all the way in the race for the Scudetto in recent years.