The top English sides have alternatively pursued Kalidou Koulibaly over the years, with no luck. Everton are trying to buy him from Napoli this summer, although they start from a low evaluation. They are trying to exploit his relationship with Rafa Benitez to facilitate the negotiation, SportMediaset reports.
Aurelio De Laurentiis, the owner of the Partenopei, openly admitted that the club might cash in on one of their stars this summer. Everton think that the Senegalese international is worth €41M, and the Azzurri have rejected significantly richer offers in the past. It remains to be seen whether they would be more lenient in the post-pandemic scenario.
The Spanish coach was instrumental in bringing Koulibaly to Italy in 2014. The defender recalled the transfer in an interview with L’Equipe a few years ago. “Benitez was important to me; he wanted me to join Napoli. He called me twice when I was at Genk in December 2013. At first, I thought it was a prank, then my agent confirmed it. I was a little fearful when I saw that I would play with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, José Callejon, and Raul Albiol. But Rafa told me that I would turn into a great player if I followed his instructions.”
Koulibaly is under contract with Napoli until 2023, and he is their highest-paid player with a €6M salary. The Partenopei would like to get at least 60M for him, La Gazzetta dello Sport informed. If they did not receive a satisfying bid, they would consider extending his contract to lower the annual wages.