Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has revealed that the club previously rejected a £47m offer from Chelsea for defender Kalidou Koulibaly, reports The Mirror.

What's the word?

Antonio Conte's side have been linked to the centre-back since last summer, while Everton have also been registered with an interest.

It seems as though the Italian club are remaining stubborn in their attempts to keep hold of the Senegal international, who joined Napoli from Genk in 2014.

De Laurentiis has suggested that a transfer would only be considered if head coach Maurizio Sarri found a good enough replacement.

The Mirror quotes the Napoli chief as saying.

“Chelsea had offered €55m (£47m), but I told Conte that I could not give him up without first having a worthy substitute. [I will not sell him] unless Sarri tells me: ‘I have Tom, Dick and Harry who are reliable: you give up who you want.’"

Is Koulibaly worth the fight?

Conte is not in desperate need of defenders given that his back three of David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta have helped the club maintain a place at the top of the Premier League table.

However, the Blues will want to add quality to all areas of the pitch in order to create a squad that can dominate for years to come.

Koulibaly would certainly boost the club's defensive attributes as he is a decent tackler but can also pass from the back, which fits into Conte's system.

The 25-year-old can also cope at the elite level in Europe as he made eight appearances in the Champions League.

The problem for Chelsea is that they do not want to pay over the odds for a defender who cost Napoli around £6.5m three years ago.

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