Perfect deal! Central defender Kalidou Kouilbali (31) moves from Napoli to Chelsea in the English Premier League. Both clubs reported it on Saturday.
The transfer fee for the Senegalese should be up to 40 million euros, including potential bonus payments. Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel, 48, is said to have already preferred Matthijs de Ligt (22) from Juventus Turin, but his move to Bayern Munich is becoming increasingly heated. But the Turin club’s management wanted to convince the Dutchman and his advisor to raise the salary to extend his contract until 2025, Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Saturday.
Coulibaly is scheduled to replace “Blues” star Antonio Rudiger (29), who moved to Real Madrid. In addition to Rudiger, Chelsea also lost defender Andreas Christensen (Barcelona).
Koulibaly has been with Napoli since 2013 and still has a contract with the Serie A club until 2023. Napoli would have liked to extend it, but the central defender was looking for a new challenge.
“I am very happy to be at Chelsea now. It is a great team and my dream has always been to play in the Premier League.”
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Chelsea had already secured the commitment of England international Raheem Sterling (27) from champions Manchester City on Wednesday. The striker signed a five-year contract.
The Londoner returns to his hometown, but traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the pre-season for Chelsea. The German international also includes Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in the attacking position.
Sterling was the first significant signing since the change of ownership in previous Champions League winners. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had sold the club to a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehle.