Spurs look to have been given a boost in their hopes of signing Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, with the 28-year-old having reportedly asked to leave the Italian club.
According to Italian news outlet Area Napoli (via Daily Hotspur), the Senegalese centre-back has asked to leave and Spurs are closely following his progress. Jose Mourinho is unsurprisingly targeting defensive additions in January, with his Spurs side having kept just two clean sheets in the Premier League all season and Koulibaly could be the man to stabilise their shaky back-line.
The Napoli man has been in excellent form so far this season; averaging a 7.1 rating in all competitions for the Italian side but his strong performances were not enough to save the job of Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked on Tuesday evening. With all the unrest at Napoli and them now managerless, a move to the Premier League could well be on the cards for Koulibaly in January.
Is Koulibaly a realistic target for Spurs?
Yes
No
Reaction from Spurs fans to the news that Koulibaly wants to leave can be seen in the tweets below.
Yes Please bring him in
— NdomDele (@ljgamingjohnny) December 11, 2019
If we sign koulibaly, just give us the league next season
— David d Taylor (@dayvid_d_taylor) December 10, 2019
On my knees.
— Tanguyfastic (@centralthoughtt) December 10, 2019
Would be a superb signing but will cost huge
— SpursStark777 (@SpursStark777) December 10, 2019
The scenes if this were to happen
— Craig Burley’s Therapist (@FilthyAnimal619) December 10, 2019
With age comes experience and game awareness which you very rarely get with young defenders. Sign him and let the youngsters learn from him = value for money #COYS
— Nigel Hutson (@nhutson358) December 11, 2019
These Spurs fans are clearly very keen on signing Koulibaly and are hoping to see the 28-year-old make the move to North London in January.
What do we think?
Koulibaly is currently valued at £67.5 million (Transfermarkt), so it would be a huge transfer for Spurs if they do make a move for the Napoli centre-back. They will no doubt face competition from the likes of Manchester City for his signing but he could be the ideal man for Mourinho, especially if the Portuguese manager is unable to convince Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld to extend their contracts beyond the end of the season.