Napoli are reportedly close to signing Leo Östigard from Brighton for €4m, while Barcelona could make an offer for Kalidou Koulibaly next week.
The Senegal international refused to commit his future to the Partenopei, saying that he still doesn’t know where he will play next season. Barcelona are reportedly leading the race to secure his services, despite the interest from Chelsea and PSG.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, the Senegal international has refused Napoli’s contract extension offer. His current deal runs out in 2023, so Napoli would need to sell him in the summer to avoid seeing him leave as a free agent in one year.
Barcelona are facing financial issues and have yet to announce the signing of Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen, who have agreed to move to the Nou Camp at the end of their contracts with Milan and Chelsea.
Thursday could be a decisive day for Barcelona, as announced by president Joan Laporta on Saturday.
“We’re working to turn Barcelona’s finances around,” he said as quoted by Marca.
“If, next Thursday, members approve [our proposals], we’ll have good news and we’ll clean up our finances sooner than expected.
“Amongst other things, we’ll be able to strengthen the professional teams and regain a degree of normality. The club was in a critical condition.”
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Barcelona could make their opening offer for Koulibaly next week if they solve their financial issues. Napoli’s asking price is in the region of €40m.
In the meantime, the Partenopei are close to signing Östigard from Brighton. According to Calciomercato.com’s Daniele Longo, the ex-Genoa loanee is close to joining the Partenopei for €4m.
The 22-year-old played 14 games while on loan at the Stadio Ferraris in the second part of 2021-22.