Chelsea have 'no problem' matching Napoli's asking price for Koulibaly
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 11 Jul 2022 22:28 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are reportedly willing to meet Napoli's asking price for Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly as Thomas Tuchel remains keen to add defensive reinforcements this summer.
The Blues' head coach has lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona, both on free transfers, and has set his sights on multiple players across Europe.
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Jules Kounde was once the favoured option before Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Ake became high priority targets in recent weeks.
However, Koulibaly remains an option to Chelsea, with Napoli open to offers for the central defender. He has been linked with a move away from the club for several years, but a transfer elsewhere has never materialised. But, with just one yera left on his deal, Napoli are willing to sell for the right price.
Chelsea want Koulibaly
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport have reported that Chelsea have 'no problem' in matching Napoli's €40 million (£34m) asking price for Koulibaly.
With Koulibaly out of contract next summer, Napoli aren't able to demand anywhere close to the €95m (£80m) they rejected when Man Utd submitted a bid worth that amount for Koulibaly back in 2018.
However, it's still a relatively sizeable fee for a 30-year-old with just 12 months left on his deal, meaning it's a large investment from Chelsea. But, it would be considerably less than the €80m (£68m) Juventus are demanding for De Ligt.
The only potential stumbling block is that Juve are interested in signing Koulibaly as De Ligt's replacement, meaning Chelsea may lose the Dutchman to Bayern Munich and the Senegal international to Juventus. Although, Koulibaly has reportedly claimed that he wouldn't play for another Serie A side out of respect to Napoli, giving Chelsea hope in their hunt for his signature.
Gianluca Di Marzio has also reported that Koulibaly's agent has met with Chelsea, with the player seen as an alternative to De Ligt.
Chelsea are yet to make any new additions this summer, but Raheem Sterling is expected to join the club from Manchester City in the coming days.
