Napoli Defender Kalidou Koulibaly Set To Sign For Chelsea

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly is set to join English Premier League giants Chelsea from Italian Seri A side Napoli.

The BBC Sport reports that the Blues are set to complete the signing of the Azzurri centre-back, who proved to be a key figure in Napoli’s backline for the past seven seasons.

Koulibaly is expected to sign a four-year deal after undergoing medicals at the team’s pre-season camp in Los Angeles.

The defender’s future at Napoli had been a subject of speculation for long as he had previously been linked to Chelsea rivals Liverpool as well as Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Koulibaly still had one year remaining on his contract and had been singing praises on manager Luciano Spalleti for his impact since arriving in May 2021.

“I prefer Koulibaly to be with us always, especially as he would be captain this season,” Spalleti said on Wednesday.

“If he chooses to leave, we will never stop thanking him for all the help he has given us. If he wants to choose something else, we wish him all the best, because he deserves it.”

Koulibaly started his career at Metz in France, before moving to Genk in 2012 and then Napoli two years later.

He helped Senegal to glory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and has earned 62 caps for his country.