Chelsea reignite interest in Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly

Chelsea have reportedly reignited their interest in sought-after Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly following a busted attempt to sign Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues reached out to the Senegalese star’s entourage on Monday to discuss a potential summer switch to Stamford Bridge.

Thomas Tuchel is a long-term admirer of Koulibaly as he tried to price him away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last summer but to no avail.

Following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, the German boss faces the prospect of falling short of reliable defensive options.

Chelsea initially identified de Ligt as an ideal candidate to fill the void. Yet, Bayern Munich are on the verge of hijacking their move after agreeing personal terms with the Dutchman.

The Premier League heavyweights have rekindled their interest in the 31-year-old Koulibaly, who could be on the move in the coming months.

Widely considered one of the best centre-backs in Serie A, the Napoli stalwart has generated plenty of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Juventus.

However, the Partenopei chief Aurelio De Laurentiis has made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of selling his trusted ally to any Serie A side.

That has not only effectively ruled the Bianconeri out of the race for Koulibaly but handed Chelsea’s hopes of landing the former Genk man a huge boost.

With only a year left to run on his current contract in Naples, the highly-rated defender will likely sever ties with the Partenopei this summer.

But Koulibaly is not the only name on Tuchel’s shortlist.

Wantaway Manchester City misfit Nathan Ake is also one of the profiles considered by Chelsea.

The versatile Dutch defender has received the green light from the Cityzens to find a new club this summer after tumbling down the pecking order.

Ake’s current situation at the Etihad Stadium could hasten his move to west London, but he won’t come cheap.

Man City paid Bournemouth £41m to capture the 27-year-old’s services in 2020 and have every intention to recoup that money.