Everton: £40.5 million man rejects new deal amid interest from Premier League clubs

This isn’t the first time that Everton have been linked with Kalidou Koulibaly. When Carlo Ancelotti was at the helm, there were rumors that he wanted his former player, who played under him at Napoli, to join him at the Goodison Park.

Nothing materialized that season as Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, was adamant that he wouldn’t sell his star player at any cost and Koulibaly himself didn’t want to move elsewhere as he was happy in Naples.

But fast forward to the summer of 2022 and the reports coming out of the Napoli camp are that Koulibaly has rejected the Partenopei’s latest contract offer. De Laurentiis has failed to convince him to stay in Naples, with a summer exit now a strong possibility for Koulibaly.

The Senegalese defender at around £40.5 million and Napoli will look to extract maximum value for their star defender this summer instead of letting him go on a free when his contract expires in 2023. The Senegal international is not short of suitors with the likes of Aston Villa, Barcelona, and Chelsea also linked along with the Toffees.

Koulibaly would be an excellent signing for Everton

Kalidou Koulibaly’s importance to his current club can be seen in the statement made by his current boss, Luciano Spalletti, after the final game of the season, where he told the press that he’d chain himself to the gates if Koulibaly was sold. His impressive displays have seen Spalletti’s side keep the second-best defence in the league behind only AC Milan.

Koulibaly has tackles plus interceptions per 90 of 3.75 this season which is more than his previous 4 seasons with Gli Azzurri and his 0.74 dribbles completed per 90 ranks him in the 98th percentile when compared to positional peers in the top five leagues. (stats via FBref)

The Royal Blues shipped in 66 goals in the 38 games they played in the 2021-22 Premier League season and because of such poor defensive displays, the club were embroiled in a relegation battle. Frank Lampard wants new additions in the defensive position and Koulibaly can be that first signing for him in the upcoming season.

Can Everton sign Koulibaly in this summer transfer window?