Transfer Centre

Chelsea announce Kalidou Koulibaly signing

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 16 July 2022

Chelsea confirm the signing of Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli on a four-year deal for a reported €40m (£34m).

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli on a four-year contract.

The 31-year-old departs the Partenopei after an eight-year spell with the Serie A outfit, during which he won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.

Koulibaly arrived at Napoli from Genk for a £7m fee in 2014 and went on to provide 14 goals and eight assists in 317 games for the club in all tournaments amid frequent interest from Premier League clubs.

Manchester United and Manchester City were both strongly linked with moves for the Africa Cup of Nations winner last summer, but he elected to remain loyal to Napoli.

However, Luciano Spalletti's side were at risk of losing Koulibaly on a free transfer in 2023, and the Partenopei therefore accepted a bid of €40m (£34m) from Chelsea for the defender.

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel during the FA Cup final on May 14, 2022. © Reuters

Koulibaly has signed a deal with Chelsea until the end of the 2025-26 season, and he is reportedly set to earn £8.2m a year in the English capital.

"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," Koulibaly told the official Chelsea website.

"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 [Edouard Mendy] and Jorginho they made my choice easier so I'm really happy to be with you today.

"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."

Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly pictured in July 2020 © Reuters

Blues owner Todd Boehly added: "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."

Thomas Tuchel was questioned on Koulibaly's arrival ahead of the Blues' friendly with Club America on Saturday and responded: "I'm very happy about his signing and joining our team.

"He's now the second signing of the summer and again we have a strong player, a strong personality with big experience and from our point a view a perfect addition to our group."

Koulibaly has followed Raheem Sterling to Stamford Bridge for the 2022-23 season and has already linked up with the team in the USA ahead of their pre-season fixtures with America, Charlotte and Arsenal.

The former Metz youngster has bolstered Chelsea's defensive options following the exits of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who departed on free transfers for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

Chelsea are still being linked with the likes of Presnel Kimpembe and Jules Kounde to beef up their backline further, but Nathan Ake will reportedly now be staying at Manchester City.