Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly may not only benefit Chelsea in the defensive sense as the Senegalese closes in on a £34million transfer switch.
The Blues have a big task on their hands to replace both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen who departed for new La Liga challenges. Amid all the talk of Jules Kounde, Matthijs de Ligt and a few others, two defenders are now primed to take the mantle from the aforementioned duo.
On the 31-year-old himself, he is viewed in more of the mould of Rudiger with his leadership expertise. football.london understands that an agreement is close between Chelsea and Napoli in relation to a £34m deal that will see the Senegalese international sign a lucrative long-term contract in west London.
READ MORE: Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly drops Chelsea transfer bombshell as £34m deal 'very close'
Additionally, football.london understands that the Blues are in advanced talks for City defender Nathan Ake with the fee and personal terms being discussed. City want over £50million and a replacement lined up before giving the green light for a deal. Two signings who on top with Raheem Sterling will look on paper like being astute business. The trio of potential new signings are expected to follow the 27-year-old in joining up with Tuchel and his side across the duration of their US tour.
Whilst Koulibaly and Ake will be focussed on solidifying a Chelsea defence that began to leak at the end of last season as demonstrated by various games including the 4-1 loss at home to Brentford, perhaps the former could even offer something a bit more to the party.
This is because as per WhoScored.com, the soon-to-be former Naples number 26 played a 'direct hand' in more league goals (6) than Timo Werner (5) last season.
A quite embarrassing stat for a forward player who has unsurprisingly been linked to a Chelsea exit this summer amid Juventus and Borussia Dortmund speculation. Whether another full pre-season under Tuchel is enough to turn around these fortunes remains to be seen.
But Koulibaly's attacking threat which his predecessor Rudiger also had can prove a useful weapon from set pieces in the upcoming campaign for Chelsea.
Chelsea fans- is this Kalidou Koulibaly statistic further proof that Timo Werner needs to move on this summer to another club? Or will his fortunates turnaround next season? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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