Kalidou Koulibaly is set become one of the biggest earners at Chelsea, with the 31-year-old close to penning a lucrative deal at Stamford Bridge this summer. The centre-back has been heavily linked with a move to west London for the best part of five-years and, amid an increasingly uncertain future at Napoli, Todd Boehly is 'very close' to welcoming the first signing of his tenure.
football.london understand Chelsea are very confident that the transfer of Koulibaly will be completed once the final details have been confirmed. According to widespread reports, the Blues have had a €40million (£34m) bid accepted by the Italian giants.
It's believed that the defender will pen a five-year contract at club and become a high-earner at Stamford Bridge. Fabrizio Romano claims that Koulibaly will earn a €10million (£8.3m) net salary in west London, rivalling the likes of N'Golo Kante, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell.
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Koulibaly, who sees his deal at Napoli expire in 12 months, is seen as an alternative to Matthijs de Ligt, who is edging ever closer to penning a deal at Bayern Munich despite Chelsea's interest. The centre-back featured 27 times for Luciano Spalletti's side in the Serie A last season, steering Gli Azzurri towards a title charge.
The Senegalese star is a defender of great pedigree who played a significant role in the Italian giants recording an incredible defensive record. By signing Koulibaly, Tuchel will be taking the first steps towards compensating for Antonio Rudiger's departure.
As a move to Chelsea looms, Spalletti has already let his stance be known regarding Koulibaly's looming exit. The Napoli boss insisted that he would chain himself to the gates if his star defender is sold!
Speaking in a press conference after the final game of the 2021/22 Serie A 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."
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