Chelsea have made an enquiry to sign Napoli central defender Kalidou Koulibaly during the summer transfer window, according to a report.
The Blues are on the lookout for their first signings of the Todd Boehly era in the coming weeks, with potential deals for Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake from Manchester City amongst those edging closer.
Links to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo continue to resurface following the 37-year-old's revealed desire to leave Old Trafford according to reports, as well as a potential hijacking of United's move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
However, following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers this summer, as well as the impending exits of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso to Barcelona, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is also keen to secure several new defenders.
Ake is one of those targeted to fill the void at the back, whilst Tuchel is also a huge admirer of Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt, but the Dutchman is said to favour a move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich instead.
As a result, Chelsea are said to be switching their attention to Koulibaly according to Corriere dello Sport, who report that the Blues have enquired over the availability of the Senegal international.
The 31-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract in Naples, and could finally be set to leave following numerous links away from the club that he has enjoyed a productive eight-year spell with so far.
Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with moves for Koulibaly this summer, but the report suggests that Chelsea are the frontrunners to secure his signature for around €30m (£25.4m) to €40m (£33.8m).
Matthew Tranter
