italian journalist Giacomo Iacobellis has made a sensational claim that Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has been offered to Barcelona as a cheaper option than Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

The journalist said there was a price difference of up to €20m between the two, meaning the Napoli centre-half would have cost Barcelona around €40m.

Koulibaly, 31, has a contract with Napoli until 2023 and now that renewal talks have stalled the Italian side are ready to cash in but are only willing to listen to offers of around 40 million euros.

At this very moment, however, Barcelona’s priority remains Jules Kounde as the 23-year-old fits perfectly into Xavi’s plans. But with the ongoing financial instability, Barcelona fail to match Sevilla’s asking price of around €60m.

All of this has given Chelsea a solid advantage in the Premier League. As they have already lost Andreas Christensen to Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, they are looking for perfect replacements and Kounde would be top of the list.

Meanwhile, Inter’s Milan Skriniar Juventus’ Matthijs De Ligt and Manchester City’s Nathan Ake are also on their radar.

Apart from everything, Koulibaly’s name is also on the list. The towering defender is said to be one of the options the Blues are exploring as they ‘continue to look for two centre-backs’.

For Napoli, given their ongoing financial problems, selling Koilibaly is something they were forced to do. As they strive to reduce their wage bill, club legends such as Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne have already been dismissed.

Koulibaly’s name could be next on the agenda and with him still having a year left on his contract, Napoli expect to generate as much capital as possible as it is understood that at 31 he will he still has a lot to do. its reservoir.