Liverpool told to forget about Virgil van Dijk and sign top Serie A defender
Liverpool should target Kalidou Koulibaly instead of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk this summer, according to reporter James Pearce
Jurgen Klopp should look to spend £60m on Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly if Liverpool are unable to get a deal to sign Virgil van Dijk over the line, according to James Pearce.
The Reds were heavily linked with a move to sign the Netherlands international last month and the Merseyside outfit were thought to be on the brink of completing a £60m deal for the centre-half.
However, in an embarrassing sequence of events, Liverpool were forced to issue a statement apologising to Southampton amid concerns about being reported for tapping up.
The Reds confirmed that they were ending their interest in the 25-year-old, although transfer murmurings linking Van Dijk with a switch to Anfield have persisted.
The Sport Review reported exclusively last month that Liverpool had made an offer to sign Koulibaly in the summer transfer window.
And Liverpool Echo reporter Pearce admitted that if he were Klopp, signing Napoli’s Senegal international would be high on his list of priorities.
“Personally, I’d go for a top-class centre-back. If Van Dijk is out of reach then I’d offer £60million for Koulibaly at Napoli,” Pearce told the Liverpool Echo.
Liverpool finished in fourth place in the Premier League table last season to secure a return to the Champions League.
The Reds are still waiting to win their first piece of silverware under Klopp following his appointment in October 2015.
