Why Man Utd and Chelsea must thank Juve for Koulibaly clause

23 apr 2018

Kalidou Koulibaly could have scored the goal of the season for Napoli as his late header at the Allianz Stadium yesterday night allowed the partenopei to seal a crucial 1-0 win over Juve moving only one point short of the Old Lady with four games to go in Serie A.

Koulibaly is one of Napoli’s most remarkable signings as the Senegalese centre-back arrived at the club in summer 2014 for just € 8 million.

After a first disappointing spell under Rafa Benitez, Koulibaly has gone on to become one of the best centre-backs in Europe and it is no coincidence that clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea are always linked with signing him.

The 26-year-old extended his Napoli contract in September 2016, weeks after Higuain’s Juventus move.

Just like his former team-mate, Koulibaly has a release clause included in his contract with Napoli. The player’s release clause is set to € 70 million and our transfer pundit Fabrizio Romano points out that after Juventus’ purchase of Higuain, Napoli decided to make Koulibaly’s clause only valid for clubs outside Serie A. Yesterday’s goal confirmed Napoli made an absolute bargain when they decided to sign the player for just € 8 million in summer 2014.