Chelsea set to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli
Chelsea are inching closer to the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly, as Napoli are finally ready to agree upon a fee for the transfer of their talismanic centre-half.
The report comes from Gianluca Di Marzio, who stated that after a first attempt was rejected, Chelsea are about to dish out €38m along with bonuses worth €2m for the 31-year-old.
Todd Boehly and co. have been proactive as far as negotiations are concerned, as they are presently in talks with multiple clubs for their respective players. Some of them include other centre-back targets, such as Nathan Ake and Presnel Kimpembe. The report adds that this deal could be rounded-off and signed as early as July 13th, further exemplifying Chelsea’s tenacious working methods in this transfer window.
Koulibaly, who has been a celebrated virtuoso of defending in Naples, has amassed 317 appearances over eight seasons. Having agreed to personal terms, the defender said:
“It [the move to Chelsea] is on the right track, but I’ll confirm later.”
And why wouldn’t it be? The Blues will table a five-year contract until 2027 for Koulibaly, making him one of the highest paid players in the Premier League over the age of 30. Indeed, he is set to earn a net sum of €10m per season, which amounts to around £175,000-per-week.
Known for his aggressive, sharp ground duels, Koulibaly’s tackles are timed perfectly more often than not. More so, he’s the leader Chelsea need in a squad that could be considered inexperienced barring a couple of old-stagers.
The African Cup of Nations champion would also team up with his compatriot Edouard Mendy. Koulibaly, who has one year left on his current contract at Napoli, has lifted the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in his time with the Gli Azzurri.
In other news, Chelsea’s new acquisition Raheem Sterling is poised to join the squad this week following medicals in LA. He’s another player besides Koulibaly who was Thomas Tuchel’s preferred choice.
It demonstrates just how much Boehly trusts Tuchel, who according to the new board, should have full license to design his roster as he sees fit.
Chelsea remain in hunt for other centre-halves. But for now, it appears as though they’ve found a replacement for Antonio Rudiger. Koulibaly is expected to arrive on Thursday for his medical exam.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Clement Bucco-Lechat. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.