Napoli slash asking price for Kalidou Koulibaly ahead of summer transfer window

Napoli have cut their asking price for star defender Kalidou Koulibaly ahead of this summer's transfer window.

The Senegalese centre-back has been linked with a move away from Naples for several years now and is widely considered as one of the best defenders in the world.

With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting football clubs hard after a year without fans in stadiums, the Serie A side are reportedly open to cashing in on their biggest asset - with several top sides circling regarding a potential transfer.

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has always been widely outspoken about transfers involving his club and has previously claimed that it would take a nine-figure offer to convince them to part ways with Koulibaly.

However, with the player on a huge €7m per-season contract and the club being affected by the pandemic more than most top sides, that figure has reportedly been slashed.

According to Il Mattino, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are readying a move for the defender that would be worth around €45m. While that offer would have been laughed out of the office in the past, they believe that Napoli could consider the sale to get his wages off the books.

Bayern and Napoli anticipate that the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United will join the race for Koulibaly's signature, which could see the price rise a bit and create a bidding war.

It's unknown whether Bayern would be willing to go beyond their current valuation considering they have already completed the signing of Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig for next season. It's also unknown what Koulibaly's preference of move would be, although he has previously admitted that he would be interested in a move to the Premier League.

Koulibaly will turn 30 before the start of next season and his current deal runs to 2023.