Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has lashed out at Kalidou Koulibaly amid links to Chelsea, saying that he could sue the Premier League side if they are found to be behind the defender’s recent comments.
Koulibaly said in an interview with L’Equipe last Thursday that negotiations over a new deal with Napoli were at “a dead end”, a statement that has infuriated the club’s president.
De Laurentiis has claimed that the player’s remarks will cost the Serie A club millions in merchandise revenue and that he could take legal action against Chelsea if he discovers Koulibaly has been tapped up by the London- based side.
Koulibaly claimed to have offers from other clubs though specific links between Chelsea and the player are unconfirmed and the Napoli owner is adamant that he will definitely not be allowed to leave Naples.
The president told Corriere dello Sport: “I had thought Koulibaly was a good man. The moment I realise you and your agent haven’t read the contracts properly before signing them, I cannot tolerate that.
“Napoli were about to sign new commercial deals to use Koulibaly’s image, but his statements cancelled those opportunities. His jersey cannot be sold now.
“He created damages worth millions of Euros and I have specialists studying the issue now.
“I’m disappointed he didn’t just call me and ask if Napoli intended to sell Koulibaly or not. I don’t bother other clubs, approaching their players who are under contract.
“If we discovered that Chelsea were behind this, then we could sue them for damages too. Koulibaly is 24 years old, he is not a kid.
“Out of respect for the club and [coach Maurizio] Sarri, he should not have made those statements. Apologising to the fans is not enough. He will continue working for us for the three years on his contract and maybe many more until he’s paid off the damages to Napoli.”
Koulibaly made 33 Serie A appearances this season for Napoli, helping the side to secure Champions League football for the coming season.
He moved to the club in 2014 from Genk and signed a five-year deal with Napoli but it appears his efforts have now attracted interest from a host of top European sides.
Chelsea currently have John Terry, Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill at their disposal in the middle of defence but it appears Conte is keen to make his own mark on his new team.
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