Chelsea Transfer News: Huge Kalidou Koulibaly Bid Reported, Latest Blues Rumours

Chelsea have reportedly lodged a £34 million bid with Napoli for Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

According to Matt Law in the Telegraph, incoming Blues manager Antonio Conte has made Koulibaly his main defensive target for the summer after all but giving up on signing Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci.

Per Law, Chelsea's bid for the 25-year-old includes a £31.5 million initial payment to Napoli with £2.5 million in bonuses.

It was previously reported that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis told interested suitors that Koulibaly is not for sale, per Il Mattino (via TalkSport).

He is contracted to the Partenopei until 2019 and played a key role last season as Napoli finished second in Serie A, making 33 top-flight appearances in defence, per WhoScored.com.

But Chelsea need added strength in defence, and they have the money to persuade Napoli into selling.

John Terry is some way past his best and Gary Cahill is frustratingly unreliable, thus the Blues need a new commanding figure in their back line.

Koulibaly could be that player. As can be seen below, not only is he a commanding physical presence, but he also has fantastic positioning, is excellent with the ball at his feet and can play as a right back or defensive midfielder as well as centre-back:

Bonucci was an unsurprising target for Conte given how vital a part the Juventus defender has played in the Italy side during his tenure.

However, the Old Lady are, quite rightly, not prepared to let him go, per Gianluca Di Marzio's David Amoyal:

Koulibaly could be an excellent alternative. He is still relatively young so should improve further under Conte's management and could be exactly the kind of ball-playing defender Chelsea need.

Napoli could surely be convinced to sell if they are offered the right fee, and a £34 million bid is a statement of intent from the Blues.

Conte also needs to bolster other areas, and Law provided some positive news on the N'Golo Kante front, with Chelsea "poised to trigger" the Leicester City midfielder's £20 million release clause.

The Frenchman will reportedly reject a new £100,000-a-week contract from the Foxes and is "keen to join Chelsea."

The Blues' previously indomitable midfield duo of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic were oddly poor in 2015-16, and the addition of the ever-reliable Kante would provide a big boost to Chelsea's engine room.