According to Sunday’s reports in Il Mattino, ex-Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly would like to leave Chelsea and return to Serie A to play for his former club, despite having left for the Premier League less than a year ago.
The 31-year-old made the switch to Stamford Bridge in July 2022 for a fee believed to be in the region of €40m, but is already considering an exit strategy after a difficult season on and off the pitch for the West Londoners.
Il Mattino writes that Koulibaly “misses Napoli” and has “a desire to put the Napoli shirt back on.”
Napoli could also be in the market for a new centre-back in the summer transfer window, especially if Kim Min-jae departs, with his €50m release clause becoming active for teams outside of Italy during the first 15 days of July.
However, a permanent move back to Napoli for Koulibaly may not be particularly straightforward, given that he signed a four-year deal until the summer of 2026 last year and will be 34 by the time that deal is up.
Regardless, with so many arrivals at Chelsea over the course of this season, and with a mass exodus expected in the summer, nothing is yet ruled out.