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Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed Chelsea submitted a bid for Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly last summer.
De Laurentiis revealed he rejected Chelsea’s €55 million bid for Koulibaly because he wasn’t willing to let Koulibaly leave Napoli without finding an adequate replacement.
“Chelsea had offered €55m (£47million), but I told Conte that I could not give him up without first having a worthy substitute,” De Laurentiis told beIN Sports.
“(I will not sell him) unless (manager Mauricio) Sarri tells me: ‘I have Tom, Dick and Harry who are reliable: you give up who you want’.”
De Laurentiis might not be telling the whole truth as reports at the time claimed he demanded £60 million for Koulibaly which Chelsea weren’t willing to pay.