Chelsea have been handed a major boost in the race to sign Kalidou Koulibaly in the upcoming transfer window. The 30-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge after it emerged that his agent Fali Ramadani offered his services to Thomas Tuchel's side, according to Area Napoli, as quoted by Sport Witness.
The centre-half, who sees his contract with the Italian side expire at the end of next season, featured 27 times for Napoli in the Serie A this season, steering Gli Azzurri towards a title charge. His impressive displays have seen Luciano Spalletti's side relish the second-best defensive record in the league behind only AC Milan, who won their first Scudetto in eleven years.
Though, despite the flurry of interest in Koulibaly, the prospect of a switch looked to be off the cards. Amid the speculation regarding the Senegal international's future, Spalletti made his feelings clear regarding a potential exit, and insisted that he would chain himself to the gates if his defender was sold.
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Speaking in a press conference after Napoli's final game of the season, Spalletti told Football Italia: "Koulibaly in my view is not for sale, just like last season when I threatened to chain myself to the gates if he was sold. I’m doing it again!
"This is a player always open to giving a helping hand, knows where to intervene and how to raise the level, he does what is needed. We want to have another important season, so he cannot be sold.
"People say you can get a younger player, but you can’t buy a leader, who developed here over so many years, who lives and breathes the city and gives that passion back on the pitch. Kalidou is not the same as the others for many reasons, so he needs particular focus. These are all things we’ll discuss over the next few days."
However, despite his boss' wish, he will likely leave the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this summer, Italian outlet Il Mattino report. Napoli reportedly failed to convince Koulibaly to stay.
Chelsea are said to be one of several top-flight sides in Europe who have been offered the defender, one of which reportedly is Barcelona. Napoli are already expected to lose some big names this summer, with both Victor Osimhen and Dries Mertens subject to interest.
Koulibaly, who is valued at around £13million by CIES Football Observatory, has been one of Europe's most coveted defenders in recent years, though a move away from Napoli has never materialised. He helped Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations in January and is a defender of serious pedigree for what could be a relatively low fee.
So, with an exodus of defenders already in full swing at Chelsea, Koulibaly would be welcomed addition. His experience and imperious presence would be perfect for a young Blues side.
