Kalidou Koulibaly joined Chelsea in the summer transfer window for £30m+, having been with Napoli since 2014.
The defender had been repeatedly linked with a move to the Premier League throughout that time, with leaks appearing to come from the Naples club about a €100m effort from Manchester United being knocked back.
Those figures seemed a little high and the Serie A side missed their chance to make seriously big bucks from the player. Despite that, the fee they got from Chelsea has been seen as something of a triumph in the Italian media, and a big reason for that is his replacement Kim Min-jae.
Despite only arriving in the summer, the South Korean is now considered one of the best defenders in Serie A. He may not have to wait so long for an exit, having negotiated a €50m release clause which is applicable next year.
“I knew that after eight years my time at Napoli was over,” the 30-year-old explained. “When one of the best clubs in the world comes to call you, and they want you strongly to be part of their project there is little to do: I did not hesitate, I did everything to go to Chelsea. Napoli made me grow and I will thank them forever, my children were born there, Napoli made me become the player and the man I am. But it was time to change.
“I feel great at Chelsea, my family is perfectly integrated. I arrived at the right moment, I play with players who have won many trophies. It is up to me to show on the pitch that they can count on me, for now I am very happy and I hope to continue like this.”
