Napoli chairmanAurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that Antonio Conte'sChelsea made multiple summer offers for star centre backKalidou Koulibaly, with their highest offer coming in the region of £58m.
Speaking toSky Sports, De Laurentiis also claimed that the Senegalese star was the Blues' first choice signing before the new season began, with eventual summer arrival David Luiz being a secondary target.
On August 31,Luiz returned to Stamford Bridge after two years away, signing from Paris-Saint Germain for £34m -£16m less than the amount the French championspaid for him a couple of years earlier.
The deal that took Luiz to Paris in the first place in 2014 made him the most expensive defender in the world, a record that still stands. However, the newly-revealed offer of £58m forKoulibaly would have smashed that number, had it gone through of course.
De Laurentiis said:"They offered to me 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 [million].Mr. 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."
De Laurentiis on Koulibaly: "#CFC offered £30,35,40,45, 50[M]. Mr. Conte I said, '[The] marina is behind me, follow me', I offered him that"
In the end, Koulibaly stayed at Napoli and Chelsea opted to bring their former player Luiz back from France. Koulibaly, who made his debut for Senegal in 2015 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, went on to sign a newcontract withthe Serie A club until 2021.
De Laurentiis suggested that Chelsea manager Conte would be reluctant to disclose his variousattempts to sign Koulibaly, saying:"Yes. He will never say it is true because I know Antonio. Ciao Antonio."