Barcelona interested in signing 30-year-old Serie A star: Reports

Barcelona are reportedly looking into the possibility of signing Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer, according to SPORT.

Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez has recognized a top quality centre-back as one of the priorities for the summer window. Gerard Pique is firmly in the twilight of his career while Ronald Araujo is set to develop in the coming time.

Koulibaly’s contract with the Italian club will expire in the summer of 2023. He will reportedly be available for as little as €40 million in the summer window. The Catalan club are looking to bring in multiple reinforcements and want to acquire two defenders without spending a fortune. Koulibaly is currently 30-year-old and represents an immediate upgrade and still has multiple years left at the top.

???? Kalidou Koulibaly on his future:“If I decided to leave Napoli, I would only do it for two, maximum three clubs in the world. I’m talking about Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona at the most.” ???????????? #MCFC https://t.co/LnPQ7jGnFO

The Catalan club have been interested in Juventus defender Mathijs De Ligt for quite some time as well. However, he is reportedly only available for €70 million which has essentially priced the Spanish club out of a move.

They are instead looking to sign a senior defender on the cheap and are reportedly close to agreeing a move for Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen. Xavi reportedly prefers the 23-year-old Jules Koundé from Sevilla but the Frenchman has an €80 million release clause.

Barcelona looking at a potentially busy summer transfer window

Xavi Hernandez knows all too well that Real Madrid and Florentino Perez are looking to bring in multiple Galacticos in the summer. While Barcelona have flourished recently, especially due to the impact of January signing Adama Traore, they are 15 points adrift of Real Madrid in La Liga.

They will need to bring in multiple big signings in the summer, with striker Erling Haaland reportedly at the top of their wishlist. Haaland could have a huge impact on the club and could make it easier for fans to move on from the departure of Lionel Messi last summer.

Blaugrana are also looking to bring in a midfielder, a right-back, and another winger, especially as Ousmane Dembele is set to leave in the summer.

Xavi has reportedly decided that his squad needs two top-class defenders in order to compete with the bigger teams. Barcelona have a strong base of young players who will only improve when combined with bonafide stars.

Also Read
Article Continues below

Koulibaly has proven in recent years that he is still one of the best centre-backs in the world. At Napoli, the 30-year-old is unlikely to win any major trophies and will effectively be assured of a senior role under Xavi at Barcelona.