Michael Ball claims Everton are in talks for Kalidou Koulibaly
Everton are in talks with Napoli to sign Kalidou Koulibaly this summer, according to former defender Michael Ball.
He also believes that personal terms with the 30-year-old have been agreed and it’s only down to the Italian side’s valuation of the player and how much the Toffees are willing to offer.
Calciomercato reported over two weeks ago that Everton had made an opening bid for the defender, which seems to have been rejected.
Speaking to Transfer Tavern, Ball said, “Everton are in talks and they know what they need to pay.
“They probably know the wages and it has probably been verbally agreed. It’s just whether they can actually finance the move and get it over the line.”
Testing our resolve
Napoli are aware that we’ve been very keen on signing Koulibaly in the past and for a year have retained an interest in getting him to Goodison Park.
Carlo Ancelotti was keen on signing him, having worked with the player previously, but Rafa Benitez’s arrival does not seemed to have changed the club’s stance on Koulibaly.
This suggests that Marcel Brands and his team and possibly others in the boardroom also hold an interest in signing him as they like the ahead of getting a world-class name to the club.
That was the thought process when they went for Ancelotti and it seemed to have been working out in bits and pieces, before the Italian decided to leave for Real Madrid.
However, Koulibaly is still a very good player and is held in very high regard by his manager, teammates and ex-teammates.
Pepe Reina, who’s shared a dressing room with the Senegal international, waxed lyrical of him early last year.
Speaking to Tutto Mercato Web, the former Napoli goalkeeper answered when asked about the defender who gave him the most confidence: “In a moment, Koulibaly was something extraordinary.”
We’re hoping that he comes in and gives the same kind of assurance to Jordan Pickford as we’ve often conceded avoidable goals that eventually saw us finish in a dismal 10th position last season.
In other Everton news, Pundit wants Everton to sign 30y/o to win over fans, offer reportedly tabled already
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