Antonio Conte is reportedly keen to bring Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea, but any move will be a costly one.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
A report in the Daily Express has suggested that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte could make Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly the most expensive defender in Premier League history this summer, with the Italian manager keen to add the centre-half to his side.
The report says that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis will allow Koulibaly to leave the Italian giants in the summer, if the player wishes to leave. It is reported that it will take a fee of around £60 million to prise the defender away from Italy, which could make him the most expensive defender in Premier League history.
The current record is held by Manchester City defender John Stones, who left Everton last summer to join Pep Guardiola’s side for a mouth-watering £47.5 million, according to the BBC. The move made Stones the world’s second most expensive defender ever, behind Chelsea’s defender David Luiz’s move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
So is Kalidou Koulibaly worth breaking records for? The Senegalese defender has impressed many in Serie A both this season and the last, and has played a major part in Napoli’s battle to rob Juventus of yet another league title.
Juventus’ Sami Khedira in action against Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly
Perhaps what makes Kalidou Koulibaly so worth pursuing is his versatility as a defender. The Senegalese centre-half can play equally comfortably as part of a back two or as part of a back three, and would match both the systems Antonio Conte’s has deployed this season at Stamford Bridge.
Should Chelsea not move for the defender, the Senegalese man will likely get a move elsewhere, to a big European club, with his talent difficult to ignore. Should Chelsea, therefore, move early to get this bit of business done?
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly in action against Atalanta’s German Denis
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