Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly (R) competes for the ball against Torino's Afriyie Acquah. (Photo : Getty Images)
English Premier League giants Chelsea FC reportedly won the £30 million race for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly as the Senegal international was not able to reach an agreement with the Italian Serie A runners-up this summer.
The 25-year-old center back joined I Ciucciarelli in the summer of 2014 from Belgian Pro League squad KRC Genk for a transfer fee of around £5.25 million. In two seasons so far with the club, Koulibaly had appeared in a total of 81 games in all competitions and had scored three goals mainly as a defender for head coach Maurizio Sarri.
The Daily Mirror indicated that Koulibaly decided that "his time in Italy is over, having failed to reach agreement over a new contract with the Serie A club" and that a transfer is "set to go through once the player agrees a severance package with Napoli".
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who is coming off an impressive stint with the Italy national team in the ongoing Euro 2016, is said to be all praises for the French-born Senegalese footballer and wanted to give a big role at the Stamford Bridge, with the report saying that he "wants to build his side around the 25-year-old" next season.
The 6-foot-5 Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France native is also being targeted by the Blues' rivals, Arsenal FC, during this summer transfer window, but Koulibaly is allegedly keener in joining Conte's crew.
Rumors abound that the Pensioners had been trying to push through with the deal as early as May, but Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis had been delaying it with issues over the player's image rights being sorted out first.
Caught Offside noted that among the defenders in Conte's disposal next season, such as John Terry, Gary Cahill, and Branislav Ivanovic, Koulibaly would be the fastest and tallest which is a rare combination that is hard to pass up.
Terry, Cahill, and Ivanovic are said to be "highly experienced defenders, but all three men are slow" and may not fit the kind of defense Conte wants to employ at the Bridge.
However, the report also clarified that "to simply describe Koulibaly as tall and quick would be unfair" to the Senegal international as "he reads the game extremely well and is not afraid to put his body on the line for his team" much like what the legendary Terry brings for the squad.
