Antonio Conte sees £19m bid for Kalidou Koulibaly rejected by Napoli as incoming Chelsea boss weighs up options
Italians determined to keep hold of star defender with Blues also reportedly looking at Real Madrid ace Nacho
NAPOLI have rejected a bid from Chelsea for Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports.
The centre-back is believed to be one of Antonio Conte’s top targets this summer as the Italian goes in search of defensive reinforcements.
But Chelsea will have to go back to the drawing board after an initial bid worth over £19million was allegedly snubbed by Napoli.
Calcio Mercato claims the Serie A giants have no intention of parting ways with Koulibaly for such a low fee.
The Senegal international has become one of the league’s top defenders since joining from Racing Genk in 2014, and Napoli are said to be looking for closer to £30m before they even consider letting him go.
But whether president Aurelio De Laurentiis eventually decides to part ways with Koulibaly remains to be seen following a number of controversies in recent times.
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The player was reprimanded after revealing he was expecting to hold talks with Conte as a new Napoli contract was yet to be presented.
This drew a fierce rebuttal from De Laurentiis, who claimed that millions were lost from marketing deals which collapsed as a result of Koulibaly’s comments.
The Napoli chief even threatened to sue Chelsea over the incident, although he appears to have calmed his position since.
And in a recent radio interview, De Laurentiis stated that Koulibaly would be expected to see out the remainder of his three-year deal, with the only other option to sign on for five years.
Chelsea are reported to be exploring other options as a result, with Real Madrid’s Nacho the latest ace linked with a Stamford Bridge switch.
The versatile Spaniard has held talks with Bernabeu chiefs as he seeks more first-team football under Zinedine Zidane, but he could also be a costly purchase as his current contract doesn’t expire until 2021.