Chelsea launch £33m bid for Napoli's colossal Senegalese

Chelsea are closing on an agreement to sign the Senegalese center-back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli in a move to urgently fix the club’s defensive issues.

The 31-year-old is understood to be keen on the move to Stamford Bridge and also wanted by Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.

Koulibaly is on the verge of agreeing personal terms with the Blues while Chelsea believe a transfer fee, in the region of £33 million, is close to being finalized.

Thomas Tuchel and Blues new co-owner Todd Boehly are understood to be working hard behind the scenes in the transfer market this summer after Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech left the club.

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Chelsea now look set to add Napoli's veteran Senegalese to their ranks this season after launching a bid for the defender as per The Times.

Should Chelsea agree a deal with the Serie A side, Koulibaly's signature will be a Premier League record fee for a player over the age of 30.

Koulibaly has been reportedly offered £8million-a-year to join Chelsea, which would be a substantial pay rise from his current Napoli wages.

The Serie A club are typically difficult to negotiate with but would rather see their prized defensive asset move to west London than to domestic rivals Juventus.

Chelsea have already completed a deal for Raheem Sterling from Manchester City with an announcement imminent in the coming days.

Sterling's signature is a statement move by the new Chelsea ownership to disrupt Liverpool and Manchester City's dupoly in English football next season.

However, Chelsea's latest attempt in bringing in defensive reinforcements has been welcomed by Blues fans on social media since the exit of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen with both leaving for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

Chelsea are currently in advanced talks to sign Dutch center back Nathan Ake after talks with Manchester City accelerated this week.

Thomas Tuchel is hopeful of wrapping up a deal for the Dutchman whom Chelsea sold to Bournemouth for £20m in the summer of 2017.

Man City’s value their young Dutchman in a region of around £41m but that fee is not expected to be an issue for the Londoners.

Chelsea have been linked with more than eight center-backs this transfer window including Ake's Dutch compatriot and Juventus star Matthijs De Ligt.

However, the Dutchman is understood to desire a move to Bayern Munich instead.