With a need to replace a few departing centre-backs, Chelsea are scouring the transfer market to find the right men.
One of those could be Kalidou Koulibaly, who has long been linked with a move to the Premier League from Napoli without ever getting one.
With his contract expiring in 2023, however, this could be the year, and Chelsea appear ready to welcome him with open arms.
To do so would require a decent transfer fee, due to both his importance to Napoli’s plans and the fact Aurelio De Laurentiis is a tough nut to crack, and Gazzetta dello Sport value him at €40m in an article about his future today.
They put his price in a nice little graphic, before explaining a bit more in the text, claiming Chelsea ‘tempt him’.
What is tempting in all this is the fact they are prepared to give him a higher salary to what he is currently receiving in Naples.
On €6m/year, the Senegal international has been offered a renewal at a lower salary (around €4m) as Napoli look to cut their wage bill.
However, Gazzetta point out that ‘Todd Boehly’s new Chelsea also brought to him an idea of an economic agreement superior to that of Napoli, close to €10m for the season’.
This is quite the wage increase, as it would put him on around €190k/week at Stamford Bridge, should he choose to move there.
You can see how that would be tempting, and it will be interesting to see if Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, also interested, make their own moves to beat the London club to the transfer.
