Kalidou Koulibaly’s agent says that the player was never for sale, amid claims from Farhad Moshiri that Everton were quoted £60m for him.
The agent of Napoli centre back Kalidou Koulibaly, Bruno Satin, has told Italian radio station Radio Crc that his client was never for sale, as quoted by Football Italia.
Koulibaly, 25, starred with Belgian side Genk and earned a move to Napoli in the summer of 2014, with Rafael Benitez moving to bring the giant defender to Italy.
Koulibaly has become one of the most impressive central defenders in Europe during his time at the Stadio San Paolo, racking up 60 Serie A appearances for Napoli, as well as playing in 11 Champions League games.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly in action against Atalanta’s German Denis
The 6ft 4in defender has impressed not only with his superb strength, but also his speed and ability on the ball, all of which unsurprisingly triggered major interest over the summer.
Everton were heavily linked with a move to sign Koulibaly over the summer, and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri spoke about their pursuit of the Senegal international in an interview with talkSPORT, having wanted to land him as a replacement for John Stones.
“The boy [Stones] wanted to go,” said Moshiri. “[Roberto] Martinez had promised him that he would go the following year. I still didn’t let him go until the manager said he could go. At the end of the day, I do what the manager wants. What is £47.5million? We tried to buy [Kalidou] Koulibaly from Napoli and they wanted £60million,” he added.
Farhad Moshiri in the stands
Koulibaly would have been an exceptional signing, but it’s understandable why they didn’t manage to sign him given that huge £60m asking price – but the player’s agent has now refuted Moshiri’s claims.
Agent Bruno Satin has told Italian radio station Radio Crc, as quoted by Football Italia, that the player was never for sale at any price, as president Aurelio De Laurentiis had told him.
Satin admitted that teams were interested in signing Koulibaly, but he has now forgotten about past opportunities is only focusing on the future, when Koulibaly is no doubt set to receive enve more interest.
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly
“I don’t live in the past, all opportunities and negotiations have been forgotten,” said Satin. “I look at the present and the future. Several clubs were interested in Koulibaly, but he’s a Napoli player and he’s focused on Napoli.”
“I’m not aware of the Azzurri’s price being €75m, the President [Aurelio De Laurentiis] always said he wasn’t for sale,” he added.
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