Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly was a major transfer target for English Premier League club Chelsea during the past transfer window, but his Italian club Napoli have revealed that they turned down a huge offer for the player’s services.
Koulibaly was constantly at the centre of transfer speculation some months ago, with the Blues of London in particularly ferocious pursuit of the Teranga Lions international as they looked to strengthen their backline ahead of the season.
The 25-year-old was a standout performer in Napoli’s second-place finish during the 2015-16 campaign, with both Chelsea and Bayern Munich hoping to sign the talented defender in the off-season, but his Italian employers decided that he was too valuable to lose.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that he turned down an offer of $64.9 million for the Senegalese soccer player, with a view to keeping him at the San Paolo Stadium for another year.
According to SkySports, the money man behind the Partenopei revealed the offer in broken English, which he said came from Chelsea’s new Italian coach, Antonio Conte.
“They offered to me £30, 35, 40, 45, 50 [million],” De Laurentiis said. “Mr. [Antonio] Conte I said, ‘[The] marina is behind me, follow me’, I offered him that. Last moment, two days before the closing of the market, I hear £58 [million] – something like that,” he added.
De Laurentiis said that he wanted Koulibaly to remain in order for his team to be competitive, but admitted that he would revisit the situation at the end of the current season.
“Koulibaly I need here to make the match. I need to play, so I need the players. Koulibaly, this year, will remain here. Next year we will speak about,” he said.
Speculation surrounding his immediate future was put to rest a few weeks ago when the Senegal international signed a new contract with the side from Naples that extends his stay in Serie A until 2021.
Of course, that simply means that any interested clubs will now need to pay more to release him from such a long-term contract.
