Chelsea Set To Cool Interest In Long-Term Target
Dec 2, 2016 at 1:54 PM
Chelsea are reportedly set to cool their interest in Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly for the time being as they are not willing to pay a staggering £50 million for him in the upcoming January transfer window, since the Senegal international will be playing in Africa Cup of Nations.
The Blues were heavily linked with the centre-back throughout the summer but nothing concrete materialised. The Italian giants also offered the defender a new five-year deal in September to ward off interest from other clubs.
Meanwhile, reports suggested the English giants were planning to go for him in January but they are not willing to take the risk anymore.
However, English news outlet The Sun has reported the Stamford Bridge outfit will be looking to bid for the defender in next summer as veteran centre-back John Terry is expected to leave the club after this season.
As quoted in the daily, a source in Italy said: “It is impossible for Koulibaly to go to Chelsea in January because of the African Cup of Nations.
“He is happy at Napoli, wants to stay there and likes it in Serie A. He won’t be sold until June.The Napoli supporters would go crazy if he was sold now. It would take a monster offer that just won’t come,” he added.
Well, it seems Antonio Conte’s men can perform well without a new centre-back. Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta have done a brilliant job in the last couple of months and have played a pivotal role in helping their team reach the top of the Premier League table. The West London outfit has conceded just one goal in their last seven games and Conte can surely wait for some time before bringing another centre-back at the club.