Although Liverpool have Virgil van Dijk at the back, Joe Gomez’s post-restart form has been questioned while Joel Matip has suffered from constant niggles in his four years at the club.
Defensive midfieldre Fabinho had to step into the centre of defence for Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, although the Brazilian went on to produce an excellent performance.
Asked about interest in Koulibaly last month, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said: “You should ask Manchester United, City or PSG this question. In other words, those who can afford to pay certain amounts.”
And speaking on his Here We Go podcast recently, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano explained: “So in this moment, I’m told that Manchester City, for a centre-back, are not going to spend 120m euros [on Jose Gimenez from Atletico Madrid].
“They are going to try for 80m euros [or] 75m euros – that’s the idea of Manchester City, but not for Koulibaly.
“They are not going to spend like 80m euros for Koulibaly; they are convinced the value of Koulibaly is around 65m euros. Napoli want 75m euros to sell Koulibaly.”