Chelsea given encouragement in pursuit of Serie A star

Chelsea have been told by Napoli they will only be able to sign Kalidou Koulibaly this summer if the club can find a suitable replacement first.

Antonio Conte’s side failed in their pursuit of Koulibaly last summer before turning their attentions to former defender David Luiz but the Chelsea manager could reignite his interest in the Senegal international at the end of the season.

Chelsea bid as much as £47m for his services last summer and a similar fee may be required this time around after the defender signed a new long-term deal with Napoli in September.

However, Chelsea have perhaps been given encouragement in their pursuit of the defender after Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis suggested a suitable replacement would be needed first.

“Chelsea had offered €55m (£47m), but I told Conte that I could not give him up without first having a worthy substitute,” he told beIN Sports, via London Evening Standard. 

“[I will not sell him] unless [Napoli manager Maurizio] Sarri tells me: “I have Tom, Dick and Harry who are reliable: you give up who you want.”

Koulibaly has enjoyed another stellar campaign for Napoli and is on course to at least match his WhoScored rating from last season (7.19) in Serie A with five games remaining this season (7.14).

In the last two Serie A campaigns, only Francesco Acerbi (328) and Miranda (293) have won possession in the defensive third more times than Koulibaly (266).

For more stats on Kalidou Koulibaly, click here to visit his WhoScored player page