ADL: 'Koulibaly ruined image'

By Football Italia staff

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis felt Kalidou Koulibaly “ruined his image” with contract comments, but won’t be sold.

The centre-back said this week he expected to move on because nobody at the club had called him to discuss a new contract amid Chelsea interest.

“I was not really angry with Koulibaly, but more astounded,” De Laurentiis told Sky Sport Italia.

“I was astounded because I consider him to be a person above the average and I did not expect him to ruin his image by expressing himself this way.

“He signed a contract for another three years, he will not be leaving Napoli and he will receive a fine. As he is an employee here and there is a Players’ union, I can only fine him so much.

“I was called on the phone by around 20 sponsors who were going to sign important contracts with us, but stepped back because Koulibaly’s image has lost credibility.

“At this point, this lack of sponsorship contracts will weigh on the player and he’ll probably have to pay Napoli millions over the next few years.”

De Laurentiis is a movie producer and has become well-known for his complex contract negotiations, particularly when it comes to image rights and sponsorships.

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