Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is set to join Chelsea on a long term, according to multiple reports.
Despite the departures of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, and Romelu Lukaku, head coach Thomas Tuchel is still waiting to make his first addition to the summer transfer window.
The Premier League giants have been linked with numerous center-backs, including Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.
However, it has been widely suggested that Manchester City’s Nathan Ake is most likely to move to Stamford Bridge, returning for a second spell at the club.
In recent days, speculation has increased regarding the next move of Koulibaly with Chelsea known to want to bring another leadership figure into the group.
The Blues are allegedly prepared to meet the asking price of the Senegal international at a time when he has less than a year remaining on his contract.
According to French journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Chelsea is now closing in on wrapping up the transfer of the 31-year-old.
Hawkins says that Chelsea is ready to pay €40m (£33.91m) for Koulibaly, who is said to be ready to pen a three-year contract at the West Londoners.
