Chelsea FC has disclosed the signing of Senegalese defender and captain Koulibaly from SSC Napoli in a four year deal worth €40m with add-ons. The 31-year-old defender is Chelsea’s second acquisition this summer, following the arrival of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City. Koulibaly is brought in to help Chelsea balance the absence of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who both left for La Liga this summer.
Koulibaly appeared 317 times for SSC Napoli with a goal-scoring prowess during his stint. He scored 14 goals and assisted 8 times with Napoli. He also won two trophies with the club.
Having finished as a runner-up with Senegal during the 2019 AFCON to Algeria. Koulibaly Captained Senegal to another final, where they won the last edition of the tournament against Egypt in Cameroon.
He made his debut with Senegal national team on 5 September 2015 and has been capped 62 times with the team.
Koulibaly said: ‘I’m very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea,’ said Koulibaly. ‘It’s a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. Chelsea came first to get me in 2016, but we didn’t make it. Now when they came to me, I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them. When I spoke to my good friends Edou and Jorginho they made my choice easier, so I’m really happy to be with you today.
‘I want to thank the fans because I saw a lot of them in London and on the plane everybody was happy for me to be here. So I want to thank them and I hope the season will be really good and we will give some good moments to the fans.’
Todd Boehly, chairman and co-controlling owner, said, ‘Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the world’s elite defenders and we are delighted to be welcoming him to Chelsea. A great leader and an exemplary team player, Kalidou brings a wealth of experience and attributes that will benefit our squad and the club as a whole.’
Welcome to Chelsea, Kalidou!
