Everton reportedly preparing £46 million bid for defender

According to reports Everton have decided to target Senegalese international Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. That reported bid would dwarf the rumored number Chelsea has offered for him recently. This report is gaining traction after the talk this week of Everton preparing for John Stones‘ departure for a supposed price tag of £50 million.

Koulibaly would be expected to step in and reinforce the backline with the departure of Stones, but at only 25 years of age he would not be an over the hill defender either. The main loss to Everton would be the home grown status that Stones has. That said Everton is less likely to value that compared to Manchester City who desperately need English-born players to meet that quota.

Would Napoli let him go is still in question, but £46 million would have to get talks going. Picking between Chelsea and Everton eliminates Champions League concerns, so as long as wages are equal this should be something that could get done. His current contract runs through 2019, so Napoli might be hesitant to sell so a large price tag is the only way this might get done.

Having said all that it seems like a crazy number and hopefully Everton doesn’t overextend itself. I’d hate to see us spend £100 million plus profits from Stones this offseason and return to poor days next season when we might need to build a squad to handle European football.