De Laurentiis claims Chelsea offered €58m for Koulibaly

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has claimed Chelsea tabled an €58 million offer for Kalidou Koulibaly in the closing stages of the transfer window.

The Senegal international was heavily linked with a move away from Napoli ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, with Antonio Conte reportedly keen to lure him Stamford Bridge.

Nevertheless, Napoli refused to sell Koulibaly, who eventually signed a new and improved deal  – that runs until 2021 – with the Serie A side instead.

“In the last few days of the transfer market, I refused an offer worth €58million for Koulibaly,” De Laurentiis told reporters.

“Conte will say that it is not true, but he offered 30, then 40 and then €50million.

“But I had already made the decision for myself that he would stay put for another year.

“We can talk again next year…”