Gennaro Gattuso ‘reaches agreement with Napoli to extend his contract until 2023… but may be FORCED to sell star man Kalidou Koulibaly due to Covid cost-cutting’
- Talks over a new deal for Gennaro Gattuso were put on hold before Christmas
- It came after Napoli suffered back-to-back defeats by Inter Milan and Lazio
- Aurelio Di Laurentiis and Gattuso have now reportedly reached an agreement
- Kalidou Koulibaly has been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks
Gennaro Gattuso has agreed to extend his contract at Napoli but may be forced into selling star man Kalidou Koulibaly to aid the club financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to reports in Italy.
Talks over a new contract for the former AC Milan boss at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium were put on hold before Christmas after Napoli suffered back-to-back defeats by Inter Milan and Lazio.
Those losses came after reports in Italy claimed the club were in mutiny again, with the players scolding the 2006 World Cup winner after he questioned their attitude in their home defeat by AC Milan in November.
Gennaro Gattuso has agreed to extend his contract at Napoli, according to reports in Italy
But the former AC Milan boss may be forced into selling Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly (centre)
But now Naples-based outlet Il Mattino claim owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and Gattuso – who replaced sacked predecessor Carlo Ancelotti in December 2019 – have reached an agreement over extending the latter’s contract until June 2023, with his current deal expiring at the end of this season.
However, the report adds that the pair are set to meet again over plans to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which will likely include cost-cutting measures through sales of some of their big stars.
And the outlet mentions a possible move for star centre-back Koulibaly, who has recently been linked with a move to Liverpool to help aid their defensive crisis in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
But speaking in October, the 29-year-old Senegal international – who is regarded by many, including Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, as one of the best centre backs in Europe – said he was relaxed about his future.
Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis (left) and Gattuso reached an agreement until June 2023
But cutting costs due to Covid-19 may force them to sell Koulibaly, who won his first Coppa Italia title with the club last season
‘I love Naples and Naples loves me, that’s the most important thing,’ he said via Sky Sports.
‘I always make myself available game after game, I still have three years of contract, I’m calm, the teams are looking for me but I’m still here.
‘I play at my level and I help this team and these people because I want to give something back to them then we’ll see what happens.’
Koulibaly joined Napoli in 2014 from Belgian side Genk and has gone on to represent the Serie A side 264 times, and won his first Coppa Italia title with the Italian outfit last season.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been linked with Koulibaly with Virgil van Dijk (right) out injured