£34m Chelsea man who was once called ‘the best’ spoke to another club in January, could join them now

Add as preferred source on Google

Kalidou Koulibaly could now be leaving Chelsea for a return to Italy after less than 12 months at Stamford Bridge.

That is according to Calciomercato.

So, what is the latest on Kalidou Koulibaly and Chelsea? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well, the Italian news outlet believe the Senegal international spoke to Piero Ausilio – Director of Football at Inter Milan – in January to discuss a potential move to the San Siro.

Nothing materialised during that particular transfer window.

Now – however – Calciomercato are claiming that a return to Italy cannot be ruled out for Koulibaly, as he is not comfortable in west London following a tough debut campaign.

The 31-year-old joined Chelsea in a £34m deal from Napoli back in July 2022, but only started 20 Premier League games as the Blues finished 12th.

Now, as Koulibaly’s £300,000-a-week wages weigh heavily on Chelsea, a parting of ways may be on the horizon, especially as Inter Milan are ready to take the defender in a player-plus-cash deal involving Andre Onana.

Chelsea need to offload Koulibaly

In our view, Chelsea have to sell Koulibaly this summer while his stock is still high.

The Senegalese colossus was regarded as one of Europe’s best defenders last summer at the time of his move to Stamford Bridge.

It was Carlo Ancelotti who told the Independent that Koulibaly is “the best centre-back in the world” during their time together at Napoli.

However, there no longer seems to be any need for the Chelsea No.26 at Stamford Bridge, after Benoit Badiashile arrived in January and Levi Colwill developed into a regular Premier League starter on loan at Brighton.

While Chelsea can still recoup a large amount for Koulibaly – and use him to sign Onana – it is worth selling before his value potentially drops further with another poor campaign.