Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly insists he won’t argue with Aurelio De Laurentiis about his sale, while Barcelona are reportedly pushing to secure his services in the summer.
Koulibaly’s contract at the Stadio Maradona runs out in 2023, so the Partenopei may need to sell him during the summer transfer window if the defender refuses to sign a contract extension with the club.
Diario AS reported earlier in May that his agent Fali Ramadani has already opened talks with Barcelona and Gazzetta confirms that the Catalans are strongly interested in the Senegal international who could leave Napoli for €35-40m.
Both Luciano Spalletti and De Laurentiis want the defender to remain at the Stadio Maradona and the coach is determined to offer the star defender the captain’s armband following Lorenzo Insigne’s move to Toronto FC.
It remains to be seen if Koulibaly will agree to sign a new deal, given that Napoli have offered him to spread his salary onto a longer contract. The player has rejected the club’s proposal, but negotiations will resume soon.
“The president takes fans’ opinion into account, when they don’t want a player to leave, that player doesn’t move,” Koulibaly told Onze Mondial.
“The President tries to please them. Afterwards, there is also the price claimed by the president. Sometimes it was too high for some clubs, and it blocked negotiations.
“You should know that I am not a guy who likes to go to clash to get something. If I have to leave one day, I will leave cleanly rather than fight with the club. Napoli fans don’t deserve me to fight or misbehave with the president or any leader to leave.
“They trust me and I try to give them back on the pitch. I don’t want to clash to leave. If I have to leave one day, I will leave, but for the moment, I am completely calm and I am well in Naples. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.”
Koulibaly e le parole che fanno temere Napoli. Ecco perché il Barcellona può tentare l'affondo https://t.co/goofjWT7cv
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) May 19, 2022