Chelsea have reached a full agreement with Napoli to secure the services of defender Kalidou Koulibaly in a deal worth around €40 million.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are close to completing their second signing of the summer transfer window after reaching a total agreement with Serie A giants Napoli to sign Kalidou Koulibaly.
The 31-year-old is one of the most accomplished defenders in Serie A and Europe. But having spent eight years in Napoli, Koulibaly is finally set to move on, with a transfer to the Premier League on the cusp of completion. The Senegalese ace had entered the final year of his contract with the Partenopei and had refused to pen a new deal.
Barcelona and Juventus wanted to sign Koulibaly, but it is Chelsea who have beaten them to the punch with a deal for the veteran defender. Chelsea already have reached an agreement over personal terms with Koulibaly, with the centre-back set to pocket around €10 million per year in wages.
Now, Chelsea also have struck an agreement with Napoli over a €40 million transfer fee with add-ons. As per the update from Romano, the Serie A side are now checking the documents before signing the deal.
Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea, here we go! Full agreement in place for €40m fee add-ons completed, bid accepted. Napoli are checking the documents then it will be official. ?? #CFC
Koulibaly will sign long-term deal for €10m net salary per season. First centre back, signed. pic.twitter.com/Flr0XSN7wu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 13, 2022
Another update from Romano confirms that the defender, for his part, has already arrived in London for his medicals and will travel to Los Angeles to link up with the rest of the Chelsea squad on their pre-season tour in the United States.
Once signed, Koulibaly will become Chelsea’s second signing of the summer transfer window, following in the footsteps of England international Raheem Sterling, who joined from arch-rivals Manchester City in a deal worth around £45 million.
Following the agreement to sign Koulibaly, Chelsea are expected to bring in two more quality centre-backs as they are already closing in on re-signing Nathan Ake from Manchester City. They are also in talks to acquire the services of Presnel Kimpembe from Paris Saint-Germain.
The trifecta of defensive signings are being made by Thomas Tuchel to offset the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, while Cesar Azpilicueta is also on the verge of an exit. So, after a slow start to the transfer window, things are finally picking up for Chelsea, who will likely announce the official signing of Koulibaly on Thursday.
