NEWCASTLE have made contact with Manchester United target Kalidou Koulibaly over a move, according to reports.
A Saudi consortium’s £300million bid for the Premier League club is set to be approved by top-flight bosses anytime now.
And it appears the first thing to be done once it is given the all clear is go for the Napoli defender United have long been linked to.
The Daily Mail cite a report from Foot Mercato that says 28-year-old Koulibaly – who will see his £90m valuation drop significantly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic – has already heard from Toon transfer chiefs.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is prepared to sell the Senegalese centre-back – who is said to be “unconvinced” about a move to Paris Saint-Germain – but will demand a figure just under £70m.
That is still £30m more than Newcastle’s record fee, which was the £40m they paid for Joelinton last July.
Newcastle can expect to challenge for some of world football’s biggest names seeing as the Saudi Investment Fund is worth £320billion, making them the richest Premier League club by miles.
And it looks like transfer raids on Ligue 1 and La Liga could follow if they get their man from Serie A.
Newcastle are also said to be eager to land PSG striker Edinson Cavani.
The 33-year-old Uruguay striker is out of contract at the Parc des Princes in the summer and Atletico Madrid have reportedly made their interest known too.
On top of that is the Magpies’ interest in Real Betis star Nabil Fekir.
The 26-year-old Frenchmen, who can be used as an attacking midfielder or forward, is rated at around £43.6m.
Under contract until 2023, Betis are in position to command a hefty fee.
But backed by hundreds of billions, that is something unlikely to scare Newcastle’s prospective new owners.
