Chelsea readying €40m Koulibaly offer

Chelsea could be set to make a massive €40 million offer for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports in Italy.

SportItalia is reporting that new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is desperate to sign a central defender to bolster the rearguard of the squad he inherited from Guus Hiddink, and that Napoli's Koulibaly has been identified as a primary target.

The Italian club have already rejected offers in the region of €30 million for their star defender, but could be willing to part ways with Koulibaly if an offer of €40 million is made.

Conte is believed to be keen on reuniting with Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci after the two worked together at the Bianconeri and more recently with the Italian national team, but Juve are unwilling to part ways with their key man, who is widely regarded as one of the finest central defenders in the world.

So it appears Conte will instead turn his attention to 25-year-old Senegal international Koulibaly.

Koulibaly signed for Napoli in 2014 from Genk for €7.5 million. After a shaky first season in Serie A, the defender was outstanding under Maurizio Sarri during the last campaign, helping Napoli finish runners-up to Juventus in the race for the scudetto.