MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 17:26:57| >> :60:408:408:

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly completes Chelsea medical?

Kalidou Koulibaly completes Chelsea medical?
© Reuters
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly allegedly completes his medical ahead of finalising a transfer to Chelsea.

Chelsea are allegedly on the brink of confirming the signing of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

After adding Raheem Sterling to his Blues squad earlier this week, head coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that he would now be prioritising replacements for defensive pair Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who have both left on free transfers.

While Chelsea are known to have interest in other centre-backs at the current time, significant progress has been made in their pursuit of Koulibaly.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that a £34m deal had been agreed for the Senegal international, the player himself adding that the transfer was "on the right track".

Now, according to football.london, the 31-year-old has successfully come through his medical in London over the past 24 hours.

 Leicester City's Boubakary Soumare in action with Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly on September 16, 2021© Reuters

The report adds that Koulibaly has agreed to pen a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with the club possessing the option to extend those terms by a further 12 months.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has backed up that report by saying that Koulibaly is now effectively a Chelsea player and the wait is now on for Chelsea to officially confirm the deal.

Koulibaly will be bringing to an end an eight-year period in Naples, where he has made a total of 317 appearances in all competitions.

The player, who represents Senegal alongside Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, will almost certainly command a place in Tuchel's first-choice XI, whether that be a back three or four.

Manchester City's Nathan Ake pictured on August 15, 2021© Reuters

However, there is the potential for two more centre-backs to arrive in due course, including Man City's Nathan Ake, who started his professional career with the West Londoners.

While a £45m deal is said to have been agreed between the relevant parties, Chelsea may have to wait until the Premier League champions have found a direct replacement.

Tuchel is also allegedly hoping to secure a reunion with Presnel Kimpembe, a player whom he worked with during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea will reportedly have to pay £42m if they want to get a deal for the France international over the line.

ID:490116:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5058:

Kalidou Koulibaly future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Kalidou Koulibaly

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe pictured during a press conference in October 2021
Read Next:
PSG 'demand £42.3m from Chelsea for Presnel Kimpembe'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!