Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly remains a long term transfer target for Chelsea, according to Il Mattino (via Sport Witness).
The Italian club’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed in the past that the Blues have had bids rejected for the Senegalese international, but Il Mattino report that the London club will make another bid of €50m (£44.4m) next summer.
Koulibaly has had an excellent season for Napoli. The Serie A club remained top of the table after the 19th round of fixtures at the weekend, and have the second best defensive record in the league.
Whether Chelsea will need another central defender is open for debate. The emergence of Andreas Christensen this season, along with the summer arrival of Antonio Rudiger from Roma, means Antonio Conte is not struggling to fill the three centre back positions. The Blues boss’s fractious relationship with David Luiz however may prompt the Brazilian’s departure at some point in the next six months, and that could see the club considering another attempt to capture Koulibaly.
