The Blues lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona this summer – both on free transfers – leaving Thiago Silva, Trevoch Chalobah and Malang Sarr as the only senior centre-backs in Thomas Tuchel’s side. However, Koulibaly could strengthen the manager’s options, although Juventus are also interested in the Napoli defender. Koulibaly – who won the Africa Cup of Nations alongside Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with Senegal in February – has just one year left on his Napoli contract. The 31-year-old has made over 300 appearances for the Serie A club since joining from Belgian side Genk eight years ago. Koulibaly – who has 62 caps for Senegal – has been named in the Serie A team of the year on four occasions and was named the best defender in Italy in 2019. Apart from Koulibaly, Chelsea are also interested in Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, Sevilla’s Jules Conte, RB Leipzig’s Josko Guardiol and Paris Saint-Germain’s Presnel Kibebe. The Blues are also interested in Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt, but he is reportedly in favor of a move to Bayern Munich. Raheem Sterling is set to become Chelsea’s first signing since the consortium led by Todd Bohly completed their takeover of the club. The Manchester City forward underwent a medical on Sunday ahead of his £47.5m move to Stamford Bridge.
How will Chelsea line up this season?
The arrival of Todd Boehly’s consortium as the club’s new owners – and with it the promise of major investment on and off the pitch – have ensured Chelsea fans enter this summer on a wave of optimism. Even the departure of club-record signing Romelu Lukaku on loan from ex-Inter Milan – a move that served as an acknowledgment from both the striker and Chelsea that the transfer had failed – could not dampen the excitement. Allowing Lukaku to return to Italy was a move that made sense and, while Raheem Sterling’s imminent arrival has not met with universal approval from fans, the signing of someone of his pedigree from a direct rival is a clear sign of his ambition Boehly. The signing of Sterling, as well as the attempted move for Leeds United’s Rafinha – who is now reportedly likely to join Barcelona – also serves as a message to Chelsea’s current forwards that their performances to date have not gone down the drain. Unsurprisingly, a number of them are rumored to be available to other clubs as part of what promises to be a busy summer in west London. Hakim Ziyech is a target for Milan, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic have been linked with moves and Armando Brocha – whose Chelsea situation is uncertain after last season on loan at Southampton – is of interest to several Premier League sides. Thomas Tuchel’s clear targeting of wingers this transfer window also raises the prospect of the head coach considering a move away from his preferred 3-4-3 formation. But with a shortage of strikers – not to mention centre-backs – how will Chelsea line up next season? How will Sterling fit in? And will Tuchel go into the season with Kai Havertz as his No 9 or will he push Boehly into a surprise move for Cristiano Ronaldo? Read the full article here.
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