Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has confirmed the Toffees bid for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer.
Koulibaly, 25, was heavily linked with a move away from Napoli in the summer after a breathtaking campaign last season but instead remained with the Serie A side before signing a new five-year deal in September.
Chelsea were also interested in the Senegal international, but Moshiri has confirmed he was unable to get a deal done as Napoli were demanding £60m for his services.
“What is £47.5m? We tried to buy Koulibaly and they wanted £60m. It’s monopoly money. It doesn’t mean anything,” the Everton owner told talkSPORT, via The Daily Mirror.
Ronald Koeman’s side instead signed Swansea City captain Ashley Williams in an £11m deal, but their defensive problems were made glaring in a crushing defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, in which they conceded five goals in a league game for the first time since August 2014.
Since the start of last season only Francesco Acerbi (242) has won possession in the defensive third more times than Koulibaly (211).
For more stats on Kalidou Koulibaly, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
