Chelsea have confirmed the transfer of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. The experienced centre-back will be part of manager Thomas Tuchel’s rebuilt defence after the summer departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Koulibaly, 31, played for Napoli since 2014 and made 26 Champions League appearances, making him an ideal fit for a Blues side which will be aiming for a deep run in the competition next season.
Chelsea may consider further reinforcing their back-line before the end of the summer, with Paris Saint-Germain star Presnel Kimpembe and Matthijs de Ligt having been heavily linked over the past month.
Chelsea will pay £34 million ($41m), including add-ons, to complete the deal for the experienced Napoli defender.
The Senegal international, who captained his country to Africa Cup of Nations glory back in February, has signed a four-year contract in west London through to the summer of 2026.
He will earn an annual salary of around £8.5m ($10m) during his time at Stamford Bridge.
The biggest show in town! 😎#KoulibalyIsChelsea pic.twitter.com/EnwDT3ofeU
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 16, 2022
A big-money addition to Tuchel’s ranks has told the Blues’ official website on choosing to head for west London: “I’m very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea. It’s a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League.
“Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn’t make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them.
“When I spoke to my good friends Edou and Jorginho they made my choice easier so I’m really happy to be with you today.
“I want to thank the fans because I saw a lot of them in London and on the plane everybody was happy for me to be here. So I want to thank them and I hope the season will be really good and we will give some good moments to the fans.”
