Chelsea has confirmed the signing of another star player, this time Kalidou Koulibaly from Italian club Napoli, just days after announcing the acquisition of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
Koulibaly signed a four-year deal worth €40 million with the Blues that will keep him with the team until 2025 plus option to further extend the contract.
The defender was unveiled as the second player to sign for Chelsea under the new regime and joined the rest of the squad after taking a flight down to Los Angeles.
The trade between the Italian side and Chelsea ultimately happened quite swiftly as a result of Koulibaly’s hunger for a fresh challenge and Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis learning about the circumstance didn’t want to stand in his way.
Despite Juventus’ interest in the Senegal international, Chelsea was in the lead in the race to sign him, so they moved quickly to complete the transaction in an effort to strengthen their weak defense.
Chelsea, who had been seeking Koulibaly for some time now, finally persuaded Napoli to accept a deal after the defender had a medical in London.
The Blues are thrilled to sign a complete and technically talented defender, and the 31-year-old’s transfer is really crucial for the Premier League side.
Napoli was finally prepared to sell, which resulted in a wonderful signing of a player Tuchel has long respected.
Recall that Chelsea center backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left Stamford Bridge earlier this season after their contracts ended, leaving a major gap in their back four.
It’s interesting to note that Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea turned to Koulibaly in their quest to sign up to three new central defenders before the upcoming 2022–23 season.