Chelsea more confident of signing Kalidou Koulibaly after Napoli star turns down new contract
According to Sky Sport Italia via Football Italia (h/t Football London), Napoli have failed to renew Kalidou Koulibaly’s contract, giving Chelsea a massive boost in their hopes of landing the star defender.
Koulibaly’s current deal runs out in 2023 and an agreement couldn’t be reached between him and Napoli, who were offering him an extension but with a massive pay cut.
The Italian side is trying to trim their wage bill despite securing Champions League qualification, causing several important players to feel disrespected. And this could benefit the Blues.
Koulibaly is not the only defender that Thomas Tuchel‘s side is linked with. Sevilla’s Jules Kounde is edging closer and closer to completing a move to Stamford Bridge, while tabs are also being kept on RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Juventus’ Matthijs De Ligt.
The club also announced the departure of Denmark international Andreas Christiansen following the expiration of his deal, alongside Danny Drinkwater, Charly Musonda and Jake Clarke-Salter.
Following Antonio Rudiger’s free transfer to Real Madrid and Christiansen leaving, Chelsea have two big gaps to plug at the back. Both of them were at the peak of their powers but have now exited the Bridge.
Koulibaly and Kounde seem like the perfect solution to fill the gaping hole left behind. New club owner Todd Boehly has promised big moves as his era at Chelsea gets underway and signing the defensive pair will reassure all supporters about his intent.
Will Chelsea act swiftly to acquire Koulibaly?
Trouble brewing in Naples is good news at SW6, since Chelsea have been admirers of Koulibaly. With the defender now entering the final year of his contract, the West London club may view this as the perfect time to strike a cut-price deal.
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They could even opt to wait until next year and get the Senegal captain on a free transfer. But whether we have that much time is also another question, with our current defensive exodus making immediate replacements a necessity.