Chelsea are reportedly closing on a deal worth €40m for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, despite Juventus interest.
Calciomercato.it maintain the agreement could be clinched within the next 24 hours.
Their pursuit of the Senegal international was prompted by Juve entering advanced negotiations to sell Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich, therefore removing Chelsea’s primary target.
Now the Bianconeri would see Koulibaly as the ideal replacement for De Ligt, but Napoli would much prefer to sell abroad rather than reinforce a direct rival.
According to The Athletic and La Gazzetta dello Sport, following on reports from Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia of a meeting over the last couple of days, Chelsea are close to agreeing both a transfer fee with Napoli and personal terms with Koulibaly.
The 31-year-old has a contract due to expire in June 2023 and has so far not agreed an extension, as it would be with a pay cut compared to his current deal.
He had been expected to take over the captain’s armband after Lorenzo Insigne was released as a free agent to join Toronto FC.
The Africa Cup of Nations winner has been in Naples since 2014.
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis proudly rejected offers he claimed were worth €100m in recent years, but this is the final season of his contract and the club is in the process of cost-cutting exercises on salaries.