Chelsea have tabled a formal bid worth £34m for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly as Antonio Conte closes in on making his second major signing of the summer, according to the Evening Standard.
Conte has officially begun work at Stamford Bridge following Italy’s exit from Euro 2016 earlier this month and the 46-year-old has already wrapped up a £33m deal to sign Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi from Marseille.
However, the Italian tactician is expected to bring in several further new signings over the coming weeks and a dominant centre-back to play in his new 3-5-2 formation is believed to be among his priorities.
A whole host of players have been linked with a move to Chelsea but but the Standard claim the Blues have made Koulibaly a prime target as Manchester City are showing a strong interest in John Stones and Leonardo Bonucci.
It looks as though Conte has now formalised his interest in Koulibaly as the newspaper suggests that Chelsea have now tested Napoli’s resolve with a deal that will see the Italians receive £31.5m up front with a further £2.5m coming in additional add ons.
The report doesn’t indicate whether the Serie A champions have responded as yet but you’d expect they will find it difficult to turn down such an offer as they’d turn a huge profit on the player following his arrival from Genk in 2014.
The 25-year-old has developed in to one of the best central defenders in Italian football over the past two years with his rock solid performances at the back helping Napoli finish second behind champions Juventus last season.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but I think Koulibaly would be an excellent addition for Chelsea if they could get a deal agreed and the powerful 6ft 5in defender should have no problems adapting to life here in the Premier League.
http://football-talk.co.uk/114604/chelsea-table-34m-defender-bid-as-conte-closes-in-on-second-signing/
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
