Chelsea 'prepared to meet Kalidou Koulibaly asking price'

Chelsea are reportedly prepared to meet the £34m asking price for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.

Despite the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, the Blues are yet to make any additions to their backline.

If reports are to be believed, Chelsea appear most likely to get a deal for Manchester City's Nathan Ake over the line at some point over the coming weeks.

Nevertheless, head coach Thomas Tuchel is eager to ensure that at least one more high-profile name makes the switch to Stamford Bridge before the end of August.

With one year remaining on his contract, Koulibaly has naturally been linked with a transfer, particularly to Chelsea who are looking for a new leadership figure.

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Since the end of 2021-22, there have been mixed reports with regards to what Napoli will demand for the Senegal international should they receive concrete interest.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea would have little issue with spending £34m on the 31-year-old if Napoli indicate that they are willing to do business for that figure.

More recently though, Napoli director Cristian Giantuli has insisted that Napoli will do everything in their power to ensure that Koulibaly sees out the remainder of his career in Naples.

Speaking over the weekend, Giantuli said: "Koulibaly is key player for us. There's no bid from any club. We've offered him new deal for €6m net salary per season plus a future role as part of the board.

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"It's a huge proposal, €60m gross for Napoli - Koulibaly deserves it all. We didn't need to tell Koulibaly that we're not selling him to Juventus - because we consider Koulibaly untouchable and non-transferrable."

Despite that revelation, Koulibaly will have options on the table if he wishes to take on a new challenge after eight years with the Serie A outfit.

The commanding centre-back has made a total of 317 appearances in all competitions, helping Napoli to the Coppa Italia in 2019-20.

Should Koulibaly indicate that he wishes to sign for Chelsea, he would be linking up with compatriot Edouard Mendy, the pair having been key figures during Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations triumph earlier this year.