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| Victor Osimhen of SSC Napoli and Kalidou Koulibaly of SSC Napoli hug each other during the Serie A match between UC Sampdoria and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on September 23, 2021 in Genoa, Italy. |
Chelsea
have reached a full agreement with Napoli to sign Kalidou Koulibaly.
The 31-year-old Senegal centre-back will
travel this evening to the United States, where Chelsea are on a pre-season
tour, before undergoing a medical on Thursday.
He is then set to sign a contract until 2026.
Koulibaly had 12 months remaining on his terms at
the Italian club, who are believed to have accepted a proposal of €40m from
their English counterparts.
Koulibaly made 27 Serie A appearances last season
for a Napoli side that finished third in the table.
Chelsea are seeking to bolster their back line after
the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are also believed to be
interested in Presnel Kimpembe and Jules Kounde, while they are hopeful of signing Nathan Ake, as they seek
multiple reinforcements in central defence.
The Athletic reported in May that Chelsea remained interested in Kounde, after they
came close to signing the 23-year-old last summer.
Koulibaly started his career at Metz in France,
before moving to Genk in 2012 and then Napoli two years later.
He helped Senegal to glory at the 2021 Africa Cup of
Nations and has earned 62 caps for his country.
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