‘Opening bid’: Chelsea now offered £25m to sell player who looked ‘very anxious’ this season – Fabrizio Romano
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea have received a strong bid from Al Hilal to sell Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.
He took to Twitter to state that the Saudi Arabian side have submitted a bid of around £25m for the defender who only joined the club 12 months ago.
It was certainly not the ideal first season in England for Koulibaly, who arrived with plenty of excitement following a number of dominant years at Napoli.
However, he never cut an assured figure at the back, despite his experience in the game leaving the club hoping he can be a leader alongside Thiago Silva.
This hasn’t occurred though. He was also the subject of criticism from Ian Wright, who claimed he looked ‘very anxious’ last season.
Despite only joining the Blues last summer, reports have claimed that the Blues are hoping to move him on already.
Chelsea offered £25m for Koulibaly
Inter Milan reportedly showed interest in the signing, however their financial woes mean they could only carry out a loan.
Now, interest from the lucrative Saudi Arabian league has broght about a bid for the Senegal international, with Romano claiming the proposal involves a three-year deal.
He said: “Understand opening bid from Al Hilal to Chelsea for Kalidou Koulibaly is around €25/30m. Negotiations will continue in the next days. Three-year deal offered to the player.”
The Blues will be more likely to accept a bid for Koulibaly if they get some confidence that talented youngster Levi Colwill will be prepared to accept a new contract to remain at Stamford Bridge.
After a supreme loan spell with Brighton, they are keen to smash their transfer record to sign the Englishman, however so far Chelsea are adamant that the player is not for sale.
