Chelsea ready to use ‘extraordinary’ player in swap in attempt to sign £50m star

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Chelsea are now ready to officially offer Kalidou Koulibaly to Inter Milan in a swap deal involving Andre Onana.

That is according to talkSPORT.

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

What’s the story?

Well – according to Gianluca Di Marzio – Simone Inzaghi thinks Koulibaly would be absolutely perfect for his tactical setup at the San Siro.

Now – just hours after that story broke – talkSPORT are claiming that Chelsea are ready to offer the Senegal international to Inter Milan as a sweetener to get Onana.

Chelsea are determined to sign the Cameroon international, who Mauricio Pochettino rates highly, as the Blues attempt to find a goalkeeper who thrives with the ball at their feet.

The Evening Standard believe Inter Milan want £50m for Onana, but that sum is expected to decrease significantly if Koulibaly – who Chelsea paid £33m for in July 2022 – is included.

Pochettino may have mixed feelings on Koulibaly leaving Chelsea

The Koulibaly situation is particularly interesting as Pochettino is said to be a huge admirer of the 31-year-old.

It was journalist Dean Jones who told Give Me Sport that the Argentine has admired the centre-back for many years now, and would prefer him to stay at Stamford Bridge.

However, Koulibaly is said to be experiencing difficulties when it comes to settling in west London, and would welcome a return to Italy – therefore, it makes sense to include him in a deal for Onana.

Jones added that Pochettino is likely to make attempts to persuade Koulibaly to stay, but if talkSPORT are accurate and believe he is now going to be offered to Inter Milan, it would seem that the defender’s mind is made up.

It would be sad to see the man Pepe Reina called “extraordinary” leave after just one season at Chelsea, although Todd Boehly simply cannot keep a player earning £300,000-a-week if he doesn’t want to be at Stamford Bridge.