"They paid £85 million for a player" - Napoli owner's savage comments comparing new Chelsea signing Koulibaly and Manchester United's Harry Maguire resurface 

Chelsea have completed the signing of Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli in a deal worth €40 million, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. Following the development, old comments from Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis comparing the centre-back with Manchester United's Harry Maguire have resurfaced.

United splashed a whopping £85 million to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City in the summer of 2019. The Englishman, though, has failed to justify his gargantuan price tag, with his performances producing more questions than answers in the last couple of seasons.

Meanwhile, De Laurentiis, in an interview with ESPN in 2019, claimed that new Chelsea signing Koulibaly would be worth £250 million, judging by Maguire's transfer fee. The Italian also added that he would've paid just £30-35 million to sign the Englishman for Napoli.

“He (Koulibaly) has a clause of £150m," De Laurentiis said. “But, for example, in England, they paid £85m for a player (Maguire). In Napoli, I would pay £30-35m. With that in mind, I think Koulibaly’s value is £250m, if they paid that much for that guy."

It's no news that transfer fees have skyrocketed in the last few years, with clubs coughing out massive sums on new signings. Aurelio De Laurentiis believes the hike is due to the financial strength of Premier League clubs.

The Napoli chairman said:

“The problem of the super cost of players is due to England. In England, they gross more money than in France, Spain, Italy and Germany. If a club grosses £800m, they have no problem to offer around £80m, £90m, £100m for one player. There is not a good and fair competition between England and the other countries."

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Why Chelsea signed Kalidou Koulibaly?

Koulibaly in action for Napoli

The Blues lost their defensive powerhouse Antonio Rudiger, who left to join Real Madrid as a free agent this summer. Similarly, Andreas Christensen also departed Stamford Bridge to complete a free transfer to Barcelona, leaving a gaping hole in central defense.

Chelsea knew it was imperative to reinforce the heart of their rearguard and have taken a step to address that by signing Koulibaly. The defender has been one of the finest centre-backs in Europe in the last few seasons, and the Blues will hope he continues to go strong in London.