Antonio Conte has reignited his interest in Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports
The Senegalese international and Napoli center half was a top target for Chelsea in the summer. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed that they had rejected several bids for Koulibaly, but also left the door open to a possible transfer in the future.
Koulibaly went on to sign a new contract with Napoli with a reported €70 million buy-out clause, but it appears that this will not deter Conte from trying to land his man once again.
According to the Sun, Chelsea will once again bid for the player, although with Napoli unwilling to sell him in January the move may only happen in the summer.
Chelsea are looking for defensive reinforcements, with John Terry and possibly Branislav Ivanovic set to leave at the end of the season. However, Napoli’s unwillingness to sell in January coupled with the fact that Koulibaly will be off to take part in the African Cup of Nations in the winter means that Chelsea are happy enough to wait until the summer to land their man.
The 25-year old is a fast and powerful central defender and his performances for I Partenopei have been attracting interest from a host of clubs. With an average of 2.3 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game so far this season, the defender is one of Napoli’s strongest defensive assets. He also averages 2.4 successful aerial duels a game, and has made an average of 3.4 clearances this season.
The defender is a good passer of the ball as well, something that will no doubt factor into Conte’s interest in him. The Italian manager loves ball-playing defenders who fit into his renowned 3-5-2 system. His physical attributes also mean that he will likely have no problem adapting to the rigours of the English Premier League.
