Kalidou Koulibaly: Chelsea sign Napoli centre-back at €40 million
Koulibaly spent eight seasons at Napoli
Chelsea have signed centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli in the underway summer window.
Koulibaly, who signed a four-year contract joined his new club Chelsea on their pre-season tour in Las Vegas, the Blues confirmed in an official release.
Chelsea paid around €40 million for the Senegalese defender, who completed his medical in London earlier this week, according to renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Koylibaly's arrival will bolster Chelsea's defense ahead of the 2022-23 season following the departures of defenders Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona, both on free transfers.
"I'm very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea. It's a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn't make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them. When I spoke to my good friends Edou and Jorginho they made my choice easier so I'm really happy to be with you today," Koulibaly told Chelsea's official website.
The 31-year-old defender had been linked with a move to Premier League even in the last two summers, with Liverpool and Manchester City among the interested clubs. It is understood that the Reds never progressed with their interest because of Napoli's asking price.
Koulibaly spent eight seasons at Napoli since moving to Italy from Genk in 2014. While Koulibaly did not win the Serie A title, he won two domestic trophies with the Naples-based club: Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
"I want to thank the fans because I saw a lot of them in London and on the plane, everybody was happy for me to be here. So I want to thank them and I hope the season will be really good and we will give some good moments to the fans," added Koulibaly in the same interview.
The Senegal national became Chelsea's second since the Todd Boehly-led takeover after Raheem Sterling joined the club from Man City in a £50m deal.
"Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the world's elite defenders and we are delighted to be welcoming him to Chelsea. A great leader and an exemplary team player, Kalidou brings a wealth of experience and attributes that will benefit our squad and the club as a whole," Boehly said.
Chelsea are currently in the US for their pre-season tour and they are set to face off against Arsenal in the Florida Cup on July 24 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea are scheduled to begin their 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a trip to Merseyside to take on Everton at Goodison Park on Aug. 6.