Barcelona reportedly requested Kalidou Koulibaly to wait for them to submit a bid to Serie A giants Napoli instead of committing his future to Chelsea.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona asked Kalidou Koulibaly to wait for them instead of joining Chelsea in the summer transfer window. But the Blues have won the race to sign the Senegalese defender after reaching a full agreement with Serie A giants Napoli for his signature.
Kalidou Koulibaly is set to embark on a new adventure in the summer transfer window after eight years with Napoli. During this period, the 31-year-old established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A while going from strength to strength with his national side, winning the Africa Cup of Nations this year.
The Senegalese international has made 317 appearances for Napoli thus far while chipping in with 14 goals and seven assists. But after entering the final year of his contract, Koulibaly was determined to leave the Partenopei to join a new club outside Italy. Such a situation had captured the attention of Barcelona and Chelsea.
The interest from Barcelona stemmed from the evident decline in Gerard Pique’s performance levels. The veteran defender has been showing signs of age catching up with him, meaning the Catalan giants need to lay down a succession plan for him. And with Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza deemed surplus to requirements, Koulibaly emerged as a viable target for Barcelona.
Paperworks signed between Chelsea and Napoli for Kalidou Koulibaly deal for €40m. All completed now, he will sign in the morning – then will fly to Los Angeles. ?? #CFC
Koulibaly will be unveiled as second Chelsea signing very soon. Here we go confirmed. pic.twitter.com/e5exnkB2R7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 13, 2022
The Catalan giants have been in contact with his agent Fali Ramadani for several months and were preparing an offer to sign him from Serie A giants Napoli. But Chelsea quickly swooped in to reach a full agreement to sign Koulibaly in a €40 million deal, even though Barcelona requested him to stall on the move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea and Koulibaly had already agreed to personal terms this week, and the Blues wasted no time before successfully concluding negotiations with Napoli. And following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, the 31-year-old defender will be the first centre-back to bolster Chelsea’s defensive unit.
Barcelona did not succeed in convincing Koulibaly to wait for their offer, and it will be interesting to see who they turn toward to reinforce their central defensive ranks. As for Koulibaly, his spell with Serie A giants Napoli will officially end this week, with the Senegalese international joining Napoli.
