Kalidou Koulibaly seen in London amid Chelsea speculation

Is today the day Kalidou Koulibaly is officially unveiled as a Chelsea player?

football.london understands that a £34 million deal was agreed earlier this week between Napoli and Edouard Mendy’s international teammate. Furthermore, it is believed that the 31-year-old, who is set to sign a four-year contract with an option for another year, has successfully finished his medicals in London.

All that remains is for Chelsea to make an official announcement before focusing on clinching agreements for both Presnel Kimpembe and Nathan Ake in the defensive re-shuffle, which could have big consequences for the likes of Levi Colwill and others.

Regardless of what happens in this defensive reshuffle caused by the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, as well as Marcos Alonso and César Azpilicueta, manager Thomas Tuchel knows that only ‘top quality’ additions are the key for the Blues to close the gap to both Man City and Liverpool in 2022/23.

“The stakes are huge, and we’re competing not only against the best teams in Premier League history, but also against the finest coaches,” Tuchel told Sky Sports.

“If you look at the transfer period and coach quality at Tottenham, Arsenal, and Manchester United, you’ll realize what the task is. It’s the most difficult challenge you’ve ever faced.

“We came from sanctions, we came from losing top-quality players, vital players, we are a club in transition, we were behind in the transfer race, and we were down in the table. So we have some things to work on.

“The signing of Raheem demonstrates what we’re capable of, it shows the club’s and ownership’s ambition, and that’s excellent because we’re all here to win and compete. We enjoy competing and the challenge of being at the top. We need to bring in fresh quality players if we are to have a chance.”

With Napoli already offloading their No.26 in the form of former Spurs target Kim Min-jae, all is set for Friday to be Koulibaly day for Chelsea. Unlike Raheem Sterling, the defender is anticipated to be unveiled in London before joining the rest of his teammates in Los Angeles.

This is clearly the impression offered by the newest rumor of Koulibaly being spotted at the Chelsea Harbour hotel on Thursday evening ahead of the big announcement.