With Matthijs de Ligt possibly leaving towards the Premier League and Giorgio Chiellini already making his landing in Los Angeles, Juventus are searching the market for a new defender.

The Bianconeri have some major boots to fill, hence, they have identified the irrepressible Kalidou Koulibaly as the ideal candidate for the role.

The Senegalese has been a stalwart at the back for Napoli since making his arrival to the San Paolo Stadium in 2014.

But according to La Stampa via JuventusNews24, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis will block Koulibaly’s transfer to Juventus.

The patron is the architect of the Partenopei’s revival in the last two decades, which reignited the rivalry between the two clubs.

The relation between the two sides deteriorated following the controversial transfer of Gonzalo Higuain in 2016 and then the thrilling Scudetto battle in 2018.

Therefore, De Laurentiis doesn’t plan to reinforce his northern rivals, and would prefer to sell Koulibaly abroad.

Napoli are asking for 40 million euros to part ways with the player despite the fact that his contract expires in twelve months, and Juventus are reflecting on the value.

In the meantime, Napoli are waiting for an offer from either Chelsea or Barcelona, while knowing that they run the risk of losing the defender’s services for free next summer.

So would De Laurentiis end up succumbing to to the pressure and grant Koulibaly safe passage to Turin?