Report: Everton handed another huge boost in race for ‘£250m’ Carlo Ancelotti favourite

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Everton appear to have received another huge boost in their reported pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Koulibaly, who played under Ancelotti at Napoli, is believed to be on Everton’s radar ahead of a potential reunion with the Italian, according to a report in Gazzetta Dello Sport from February.

To date, the 28-year-old has made 233 appearances for Napoli since his 2014 move from Genk for a reported £6.5million (Goal.com), as well as 33 caps for Senegal, who he also captains.

“Koulibaly is the best centre-back in the world – and he has more room for improvement,” Ancelotti told The Independent when both men were still at Napoli. “He is worth £130million and he is non-transferable.”

The admiration between Koulibaly and his former Napoli coach is mutual, the former calling the latter a “great coach” and a “respectable person”, as reported by Calciomercato last November.

According to a report from Le10 Sport last week, the 6ft 1in centre-back is “not convinced” about the prospect of a move to Paris Saint-Germain and is “more interested” in heading to the Premier League.

Now, it has been reported that Manchester United have ruled Koulibaly out as a potential summer signing – the outlet claims that, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thinks of the player as one of the best centre-backs in the world, he is content with his current options in defence.

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Koulibaly is a tall, quick and strong centre-back of the highest order, boasting an array of skills including aerial prowess, tackling, reading of the game, and superb passing abilities.

In terms of value, Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis told ESPN that the player has a £150million clause but reckons he would be worth around £250million if valued in line with Harry Maguire, who cost Manchester United £85million last summer.

El Desmarque, meanwhile, claimed in December that Napoli wanted around £90million for Koulibaly – but it’s worth remembering that, with the global health crisis halting football and potentially causing a crunch in the industry, player price tags may potentially be scaled back.

With two reports about Koulibaly benefiting Everton – his apparent snub of PSG, his desire to play in the Premier League, and Manchester United dropping out – it bodes well for the Toffees in their purported pursuit of the Senegal international.