Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti insists Kalidou Koulibaly is not available for transfer – but is worth €150m

The Senegal defender is being coveted by some of the Premier League's biggest clubs

Ed Malyon
Thursday 18 April 2019 07:15 EDT
Comments
Unai Emery reacts to Arsenal's 2-0 Europa League win over Napoli

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted Kalidou Koulibaly is not for sale this summer - then put a pricetag of €150m (£129m) on the in-demand central defender.

Koulibaly is considered one of Europe's best centre-backs at a time when the position is struggling for top-level players and Manchester United are among the clubs to have followed his progress closely.

The Senegalese defender changed agents earlier this season, often an indication that a player is preparing for a move, but Ancelotti was keen to nip exit talk in the bud ahead of Napoli's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal.

"Koulibaly is the best centre-back in the world - and he has more room for improvement," the former Chelsea boss said.

"He is worth €150 million and he is non-transferable.

"Napoli do not need to sell, the president does not want to sell and the question does not arise."

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has a reputation for getting good prices for his players, and previously insisted that stars like Gonzalo Higuain and Jorginho would not be allowed to leave before their eventual transfers.

The same could happen with Koulibaly, but the fear among the 27-year-old's entourage is that the club might price him out of a dream move and life-changing salary in the Premier League.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in