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Reports suggest that Chelsea are in talks to transfer the Africa Cup of Nations-winning Senegal captain to Stamford Bridge.
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Talks have reportedly taken place between the Blues and Napoli to see if the five-time Premier League champions will be able to lure Kalidou Koulibaly to west London on a long-term deal for a proposed fee of €40million ( R682 million).
Gli Azzurri are known to be notorious negotiators, and there is an apparent acceptance within the Chelsea camp that a deal involving the 31-year-old may be difficult, but according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano he is on. the point of being concluded.
Chelsea are currently in the midst of a massive exodus of defenders, with Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger having left for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, while Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta have also been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou.
Faced with this potential shortage of defenders, manager Thomas Tuchel is trying to provide the Blues with maximum quality in defense. Reports suggest that Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Nathan Ake from Manchester City, and will now look to further strengthen their defense by bringing in Koulibaly.
The Senegalese is entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, and Napoli’s hierarchy are unlikely to be eager to lose him on a free transfer at the end of the next campaign.
It has been reported that Koulibaly has already agreed personal terms with the two-time European champions and will earn €10m (R170m) net salary per year at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have also been linked with defenders Matthijs de Ligt, Presnel Kimpembe and Jules Kounde as they look to challenge for the 2022/23 Premier League title.
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