Chelsea look set to orchestrate a bidding war for the signature of Kalidou Koulibaly, who faces an increasingly uncertain future at the club. The 31-year-old defender has been heavily linked with an exit this summer following his unimpressive performances last season.
Koulibaly, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2026, featured 23 times for the Blues in the Premier League, keeping eight clean sheets. With Levi Colwill expected to play a key role under Mauricio Pochettino, alongside Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, competition will be high for the Senegal international.
While Koulibaly may not necessarily have a prosperous future at Chelsea, there's a handful of clubs across Europe who would certainly like to secure his signature. According to Sky Sports, Simone Inzaghi met with Inter Milan higher-ups to to discuss their plans for the summer transfer window.
The report states that they discussed a possible deal to sign Koulibaly after Milan Skriniar confirmed his move to Paris Saint-Germain. Sky Sports add that Inzaghi and Inter bosses also talked about a potential return of Romelu Lukaku, who spent the season on loan from Chelsea.
However, Inter look set to face tough competition in the race to sign Koulibaly – which is just want the Blues will want to brew a bidding war. In an interview with wettfreunde.net, transfer expert Di Marzio revealed that the Senegalese star in on Bayern Munich's shortlist.
Koulibaly left Napoli for Chelsea in a deal worth £34million during Thomas Tuchel's reign, and it appears as if the German boss still has a soft spot for the towering defender. Di Marzio said: "Bayern Munich want a central defender too. I know that Koulibaly is on their list. He's on Inter's list too.
"Inter will talk to Chelsea these days, to have him on loan but he has very high wages so probably Bayern can afford his wages more than Inter. But we'll see what can be the perfect solution because Tuchel wanted Koulibaly at Chelsea, so let's see if he wants him back."
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Last summer, Graeme Souness questioned whether Koulibaly has what it takes to success at Chelsea. Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool defender said: "I'm looking at him now and I'm thinking, 'you're 31 - I thought you were this big, strong, aggressive player who would attack everything in our box?'
"I'm not saying this has happened to him... but when you get older than 30, you start to question whether that challenge is for you anymore. He has to realise he is playing in the Premier League. He will have to rise to that challenge."
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