Spurs want 90m rated Serie A defender, a good deal?

Kolkata, December 10: Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho is targeting a bumper £90m transfer swoop for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly if reports in England are to be believed.

Mourinho wanted the Senegalese superstar defender during his time at Manchester United as well, but a move never materialised. And now he is set to compete with his former employers for the services of the star defender.

Napoli ensured that 28-year-old stayed at Naples, but it seems that they could be willing to sell their priced asset next summer following the unrest at the club. The club are looking to sell some of the prominent figures in the dressing room following the rift between the players and chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis and Koulibaly is one of them.

From Napoli's point of view, it makes sense. They could pocket around £90m for the him which will become the new world record fee for a defender eclipsing Harry Maguire's £80m transfer fee when he joined Manchester United from Leicester City in the summer of 2019. Koulibaly is already 28 years of age and they cannot demand such a big fee if they keep him beyond next summer.

Spurs, meanwhile, would get one of the best defenders in the world if they can sign Koulibaly and they indeed need one such figure to shore up their defence. Jan Vertonghen will turn 33 by next summer and Toby Alderweireld will turn 31 and both could leave the club next summer with their contracts expiring. Even if they renew their deals, Spurs need to consider options for the next few years and there are not many players better than Koulibaly who can ensure them a solid replacement for the duo.

Koulibaly is one of the most complete defenders in the world and is considered in the elite list of central defenders comprising the likes of Virgil van Djik, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Aymeric Laporte.

Under a manager like Mourinho, he could become even better. Aged 28 now, he still has a lot to offer for the next four to five years at least. £90m is a big fee but if that is the price Spurs have to pay to shore up their defence to another level, they should not think twice before paying it.