It’s no secret Chelsea want to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly this summer, but negotiating with the Serie A club hasn’t been easy.
Napoli are reluctant to let Koulibaly leave this summer, especially after qualifying for the Champions League.
Koulibaly, however, made his intentions clear in an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe, when he accused Napoli of ‘wanting to make money’ and revealed that he’d start talking to clubs soon.
That was never going to go down well with Napoli president, Antonio de Laurentiis, who has confirmed to the Italian media that the player is set for a hefty fine of a ‘few million euros’.
“The player has 3 more years left on his contract and will not move from here, and will pay a hefty fine. I’m not angry so much with him, but I amazed because I think the guy is above average.
“I did not think that he betrayed the contract on image rights. I had calls from twenty sponsors who were signing with us and have pulled back because the image Koulibaly has put out, and lost credibility.
“All of this will fall on the player, poor fellow. He probably will have to pay a few million euros to Napoli in the coming years,” he told Sky(via TMW).
That, clearly, doesn’t sound good for the player, and we won’t be surprised if Antonio de Laurentiis kept his word, or at least tried to.
Chelsea, on the other hand, may want to walk away from the deal now, as it keeps getting more difficult for them.
