With Antonio Rüdiger, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori in their ranks, there appears to be more pressing matters in Chelsea’s squad to address than the centre-back position, but when has that ever stopped Roman Abramovich from flexing his financial muscle if he likes a player?
After all, none of those players would be considered ‘world-class’ by the vast majority of football fans, but you would expect a club of the Blues’ stature to have at least one of those in their defence.
While he might not be having his best season to date, many would place Kalidou Koulibaly in that bracket, which is why there appears to be some interest from Chelsea for the defender.
That’s what Il Mattino think, placing Frank Lampard’s team next to three other Premier League ones as the interested parties in the 28-year-old, with the foursome ‘first in line’ and ‘at the window’ for the centre-back.
Regardless of the fact he’s only made 14 appearances this season (he’s missed a chunk through injury), any transfer for Koulibaly would remain expensive, but the newspaper state Napoli’s plans (i.e. demands) could vary depending on where they end up in the table.
Champions League money is important to them, as is potential Europa League cash, but if they miss out on both (they’re currently 10th in Serie A), they could need money quickly, which is where a quick sale could take place.
Their demands, at that point, would probably be lower than if they finished in the top four (or six), meaning the interested clubs will be hoping Gennaro Gattuso’s side continue to struggle here and there between now and June.
