Koulibaly offer ‘imminent’ as Chelsea step up centre-back search

Kalidou Koulibaly is reportedly close to signing a deal with Chelsea for a fee of around €40m, which would see him playing at Stamford Bridge until 2025.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed Chelsea’s interest in the Sengalese star and reported that a meeting between the club and the player’s agent took place on Monday, July 11th.

Sky Sport in Italy also reported that an offer from Chelsea is imminent and that Koulibaly has received an offer of €6m for five years from his current club Napoli, to which he has not yet responded to.

The West London side are prioritising their backline throughout this transfer window after losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen as free agents, with club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso also in talks to leave the club this summer.

There has been high speculation surrounding a possible return of Nathan Aké to Thomas Tuchel’s side, who spent five years at the club before signing for Bournemouth in 2017. The Dutchman went on to sign for Manchester City in 2020 and has since picked two consecutive Premier League winners medals as well as winning the EFL Cup in 2021.

What could Kalidou Koulibaly bring to Chelsea?

31-year-old Koulibaly brings a plethora of experience to any side he plays for. If he was to join Chelsea, he would play alongside Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva and in front of national teammate Edouard Mendy – who is renowned as one of the best shot-stoppers of recent seasons.

He captained his national side, Senegal, to their first ever African Cup of Nations title in 2021 and will represent the country at this year’s World Cup tournament in Qatar.

Regarded as one of the most complete defenders across Europe, Koulibaly possesses the ability to implement a high-quality playing style for the modern era; building an attack from the back, maintaining possession, technical ability on the ball etc. Whilst also having the attributes that make an old-fashioned centre-back – being able to tackle, intercept and block successfully.

Despite being 6ft 1in with a wide build, he provides speed on the ball and is a talented passer. His height makes him an aerial threat and a dominating figure that attackers and forwards tend to fear coming up against.

How likely is Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea?

The coming days and hours are crucial to the deal being agreed and completed. Chelsea are desperate to solve the issue in their defence and are working quickly on their transfer targets as the squad prepare for their pre-season tour in the USA.

Along with the aforementioned Aké speculation, the Blues are also monitoring Sevilla’s Jules Koundé and Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt – though Bayern appear to be leading the race for the 22-year-old after already agreeing personal terms.