Chelsea to step up Kalidou Koulibaly pursuit with Napoli demanding £35million transfer fee, as Thomas Tuchel looks to address defensive frailties ahead of new Premier League season
The Serie A side are looking for a transfer fee of £35million for Koulibaly, who is also wanted by several other top European clubs.
The 31-year-old has been in Naples since 2014 and has gone on to make 314 appearances for the club.That includes 34 appearances last term, scoring three goals.
Koulibaly is being lined up as Chelsea’s next signing
It’s not the first time he’s being linked with a move to Chelsea, either, with the Premier League club seeing a bid of over £50m being rejected by Napoli back in 2017.
Now, five years later, Koulibaly looks like a leading contender to move to Stamford Bridge, however he’s not the only player on the club’s radar.
For Chelsea, the need to bolster their defence is of the utmost importance.
Following the conclusion of last term, Thomas Tuchel lost two star defenders in the shape of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Rudiger completed a free transfer to Real Madrid, while Christensen left the Blues in favour of Barcelona, leaving a sizeable hole in the German coach’s defence.
However, with Koulibaly emerging as the club’s top defensive target, it means that efforts are very much stepping up to address the frailty at the back.
