Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has handed Chelsea a boost in their summer chase after failing to rule out a move away from Naples.
The 27-year-old has been become one of the most coveted centre-backs in world football since joining Napoli in 2014 and has been heavily tipped to leave Napoli at the end of the season and make the move to the Premier League, where both Manchester United and Chelsea are keen on a deal.
Maurizio Sarri may be under fire right now, but he is still eyeing up possible summer transfer deals and would love to acquire a defender that has all the qualities to make a real impact on the back-line, especially a player that he knows inside and out.
But according to recent reports the Serie A club’s president Aurelio de Laurentiis is demanding a world-record fee for a defender and has told any chasing suitor that they will need to splash around £110 million to secure a deal for the Senegalese powerhouse.
It is believed the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United are also interested in Koulibaly and Napoli are trying to force a summer battle in a bid to take advantage of the crazy money that he being spent in football right now.
And amid all the speculation, Koulibaly has failed to rule out a move from Napoli: ‘The future? I am a Napoli player and I will give one hundred percent to win something with this shirt,’ said Koulibaly on the Daily Express website.
‘The market is full of talk. I prefer facts, which then help us win and become great together.’
It is no secret that Koulibaly has all the qualities of a world class defender and it is easy to see just why he is wanted, but if Chelsea do want to get back to the very top of the game and challenge for the Premier League title once more then they need to acquire a player of this mans ability.
He is world class and a big improvement on what they already have at the club, but he is not worth the £110 million that Napoli wants and the Blues will have to try and get that fee down before they even contemplate completing any transfer deal.
The powerhouse may be impressing over in Seria A but the premier League is a much better League and he may struggle to adapt to the quality of the English game. So if Chelsea could get him for around £70-80 million, then it would be a good deal.