According to Sport Il Mattino, Chelsea are considering meeting Napoli’s £65m asking price to bring centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly to Stamford Bridge this summer. The 26-year-old is regarded as the ‘strongest defender in Serie A’ and could be leading Napoli to the Scudetto this season.
Koulibaly joined Napoli from Belgian outfit KRC Genk in 2014 and has gone on to make 161 appearances in all competitions. The Senegalese international has been a regular under Maurizio Sarri this season, playing in 32 league games as Napoli find themselves one point adrift of leaders Juventus.
With the defender averaging a tackle or interception every 33 minutes, while making over 100 clearances in Serie A, Koulibaly has attracted Chelsea’s interest. The Blues need to strengthen their backline for next season as the future of Gary Cahill and David Luiz are unknown.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have been the preferred defensive options under Antonio Conte this season, but Koulibaly would be a guaranteed starter if he made the switch. If the Blues are willing to meet his £65m asking price, the Senegalese centre-back could be on his way to London in the coming months.
Stats from Transfermarkt.
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