LIVERPOOL have not given up hope of signing Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports in Italy.
Speculation is rife that the Napoli defender has already agreed to join Manchester City in a deal worth over £72million.
Koulibaly and Ballon d’Or runner-up van Dijk could make for an amazing partnership
However the prospect of aligning Koulibaly with Virgil Van Dijk is said to be too good to dismiss for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
TuttoMercatoWeb report on a Liverpool plan to launch an official bid for the centre-back in the coming days.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is determined to bring in the full £90m asking price he has set for the 29-year-old.
Yet a reported desire to work with Pep Guardiola has pushed Koulibaly towards the exit door with talk of the player wanting to leave for Manchester.
That comes after Liverpool had a £54m approach knocked back, according to Italian media.
The centre-back position could become a key battleground between the Premier League rivals in the coming market.
City felt the loss of Aymeric Laporte during his injury-hit campaign while the newly-crowned champions are set to wave goodbye to Dejan Lovren.
Striking an early blow in the transfer window could be vital to Guardiola’s ambitions of wrestling back the title after Liverpool claimed first place with seven games to spare.
Further competition is likely should Koulibaly become available for a lower fee, particularly from Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
There is even talk of Newcastle launching a bid if their Saudi Arabian-led takeover is completed in time.
Senegal international Koulibaly joined Napoli from Genk in 2014 and has been instrumental in a number of Serie A title challenges, as well as their Coppa Italia win earlier this month.
Rio Ferdinand urges Man United to splash out £250m on Jadon Sancho, Kalidou Koulibaly and Saúl Ñíguez transfers this summer
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
