---
title: "Liverpool see club-record bid turned down for Koulibaly"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/news/liverpool-see-club-record-bid-turned-koulibaly/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Michael Oliver"
section: "Liverpool News"
published: "2017-06-20T13:52:33Z"
modified: "2017-06-20T13:52:33Z"
---

# Liverpool see club-record bid turned down for Koulibaly

Liverpool’s defence was certainly shaky at times last season especially when Joel Matip was out of the line-up and the Reds could do with some reinforcements at the heart of their defence.

Jurgen Klopp had made Napoli standout Kalidou Koulibaly a top target this summer and submitted a club-record £36.7m bid for the Senegal international but the offer has been turned down, the [Mirror](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/transfer-news-arsenal-liverpool-manchester-10645971) report.

Liverpool’s most expensive signing to date remains the £35m deal which saw Andy Carroll move to Anfield from Newcastle but that will likely be broken at some point this summer.

According to the [Daily Express](https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/818999/Kalidou-Koulibaly-Napoli-Liverpool-Transfer-News-Gossip-Rumours), Liverpool were ready to offer the robust centre-back a five-year contract worth £54,000-a-week but will need to significantly up their offer for him.

Chelsea are also interested in signing the defender and have tried and failed with a £53m bid themselves earlier this month.

Since Liverpool missed out on Southampton star Virgil van Dijk, the search has been on to find an alternative centre-back to sign and it will likely cost a similar fee to the one banded about for van Dijk for Liverpool to persuade Napoli to parting ways with Chelsea target Koulibaly.