Chelsea finally sign £33.8m Napoli defender to replace Antonio Rudiger

After Chelsea finalized Raheem Sterling‘s transfer earlier this week, Kalidou Koulibaly is the second player to join Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Kalidou Koulibaly claims that his £33.8 million move to Chelsea is the realization of a dream. Following the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, the Blues have finally started to restock their backline with the addition of the Senegal international from Napoli on a four-year deal.

After adding Raheem Sterling earlier this week, the acquisition marks Chelsea’s second of the summer. After the Blues and Premier League winners reached an agreement on a deal worth £45 million that might increase to £55 million, the former Man City star signed a five-year contract.

Koulibaly heads to Stamford Bridge after an eight-year spell at Napoli, where he was previously a teammate of Jorginho. The defender made more than 300 appearances for the Serie A side and became one of the team’s leaders during his tenure.

The 31-year-old, who captained his nation to AFCON glory alongside Edouard Mendy earlier in 2022, flew to London on Wednesday ahead of completing his medical and has now joined his new teammates in the United States ahead of the pre-season friendly against Club America in Las Vegas.

After signing, Koulibaly said: “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.