Real Madrid will swap Luka Modric for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly

Real Madrid will offer Napoli a fee of €50m plus mdfielder Luka Modric to land central defender Kalidou Koulibaly, say reports.

El Desmarque say the Italian club value Koulibaly at €120m but would be willing to negotiate if the Croatian midfield went the other way.

Central defender Koulibaly is said to have been on the wanted list for both Madrid and Barcelona for some time as he continues to impress both at Napoli and for his national side Senegal.

The 28-year-old is now widely regarded as one of the finest defenders in world football with his form widely heralded as being among the best at Europe’s top level.

Earlier this week, a report in El Desmarque claimed Spurs are prepared to sanction a bid to land the defender in light of new boss Jose Mourinho being appointed at the North London club.

“I loved Koulibaly the man so I refused €105m, but a time will come when I'll have to sell him,” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently told Sky Italia.

“Whoever says we didn't improve our defence is wrong.”

The defender was said in a recent Diario AS report to have been a preference for Barcelona in light of missing out on Matthijs de Ligt, who joined Juventus from Ajax this summer.

Reports have suggested the Italian club would only be willing to sell the defender for upwards of €100m, which may have scuppered any move in previous transfer windows.

Tags Kalidou Koulibaly
La Liga - Club News