Liverpool reportedly submit €40m offer for ‘very suitable partner for Virgil van Dijk’ – Ian McGarry

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Liverpool have reportedly submitted an “informal offer” of €40m, including add-ons, for Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly, according to Ian McGarry, who labelled the Senegalese a “suitable partner for Virgil van Dijk”.

With the heart of the Reds’ defence suffering from a stream of injuries this season, the side has been tipped to bring in another centre-back in the upcoming transfer window.

“It is our understanding that an informal offer, to begin with, of €40m plus add-ons has been made for the player who is certainly available,” the journalist told the Transfer Window podcast.

“Jurgen Klopp looks at him as being a very, very suitable partner for Virgil van Dijk, who is expected to return before the start of next season.

“Liverpool look to be leading the race now in a reduced price market for a player – okay, he’s 29 – but that does also give him the advantage of experience and he will be able to hit the ground running with regards to coming into a new club and partnering Van Dijk.”

READ MORE: Southgate delivers grim Henderson injury update: ‘It’s going to be close to the end of the season’

Available on an option-to-buy of £18m, loan signing Ozan Kabak is a potentially likely candidate for a permanent Liverpool move in the summer

Could Liverpool move for Koulibaly in the summer?

With Ozan Kabak forming a solid partnership with Nathaniel Phillips in the backline, one might reasonably suspect that the Turk’s recent performances will have given Jurgen Klopp food for thought ahead of the summer window.

Nonetheless, when a player of the obvious calibre of Koulibaly is up for grabs – and for a cut-price fee no less – it does tend to alter the transfer script somewhat.

The Senegalese defender is comparatively at the other end of the age spectrum, (29 years of age compared to the youthful, 20-year-old loan signing), though we’d be benefitting from an elite, ready-made centre-half who could form a formidable partnership with Van Dijk.

It’s a potentially tough call for Klopp, who rarely sanctions moves for such players, though it’ll be one to keep an eye on come the season end, should the Serie A star be genuinely available for a cut-price fee.

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