RAFA BENITEZ is reportedly planning an audacious swoop to bring Kalidou Koulibaly to Everton this summer.
The Toffees new gaffer has bumped the Napoli defender to the top of his transfer list, according to the Daily Mail.
Benitez sees him as the ideal replacement for want-away centre-back Yerry Mina and has urged the club’s director of football Marcel Brands to get the deal done.
The Spaniard initially brought the towering defensive rock to Serie A from Metz when he was Napoli boss in 2014.
And although they only spent a year together before Benitez went on to manage Real Madrid, he’s hoping the bond they built in that time can help seal the deal.
Koulibaly helped Napoli keep 12 clean sheets in 26 games last season but the Serie A side will be open to listening to the right offer for him.
His stellar performances have seen his value rocket to £89million in recent years but Napoli will take £35m for him at the moment, it is claimed.
Their dramatic decrease in value for the defender is due to the financial impact of Covid-19 that has hit the club where it hurts.
Carlo Ancelotti, who also managed Koulibaly at Napoli in 2018, also tried to bring him to Merseyside when he was Everton boss earlier this year.
The Italian mastermind faced the same issue with Colombian Mina and saw Koulibaly as the solution.
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But Ancelotti joined Real Madrid before he could make his plan for the Senegalese national a reality.
Benitez can now pick up where he left off but he’ll face competition for Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City who have been heavily linked with Koulibaly in the past.
While all the hype surrounds his future, Koulibaly has been focusing on giving back to his country this summer.
Last month, the defender celebrated his 30th birthday by donating two ambulances and medical equipment to hospitals in Senegal.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
