Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Chase Kalidou Koulibaly, Top Rumours

Chelsea are ready to bid for Napoli's £50 million-rated defender Kalidou Koulibaly, as new coach Antonio Conte raids his homeland to boost Chelsea's title challenge.

Rob Maul of the Sun reported that the Blues will make a gigantic offer to the Naples club for the powerful central defender as they look to find John Terry's long-term heir. Conte wants to wrap up a double deal as Chelsea begin pre-season training after a £30 million fee was agreed upon for Leicester City's N'Golo Kante. 

Conte has turned to Koulibaly after missing out on primary defensive target Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus, according to Maul. Chelsea will have to match their club-record transfer fee of £50 million, previously paid to Liverpool for Fernando Torres in 2011.

Here is a video of the defender in action:

Napoli appear steadfast in their valuation of the giant Senegalese talent, and Conte will have to pay a premium to acquire his services, per Maul. Everton are also interested in Koulibaly but trail the Blues in the race for his signature.

The 25-year-old was a mainstay in the Partenopei defence last term, playing 33 games in Serie A, according to WhoScored.com.

Columnist and ESPN pundit David Amoyal fuelled transfer talk after proclaiming that Napoli might struggle to retain the defender:

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Chelsea are also "confident" they will sign Kante in due course despite the player being offered £100,000 per week to stay with the current English champions, according to Maul.

In other news, Blues youngster Jeremie Boga has hinted he would like to permanently leave England to play in the Spanish Primera Division.

The 19-year-old told Spanish publication Ideal (h/t Joel Watson of the Daily Star) his style is more suited to La Liga after he joined Granada on a year-long loan deal.

“I think that in France, the league is more physical and the Spanish league will be a better fit for me because I like playing technically with buildup. I’d say this is the perfect league for me," he said. "In England, everything is more direct whereas here they play with more possession of the ball."

The France under-21 player is yet to make his full debut for Chelsea but has won two FA Youth Cups with the Stamford Bridge outfit.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Koulibaly and Kante would certainly add power to Conte's selection, but it is questionable whether they are value for money at the combined price of £80 million.

Kante proved last term he is one of the most dynamic midfielders in Europe and was a major reason why the Foxes ran away with the title.

However, Koulibaly will be unknown to many Blues supporters, and he will not be a natural replacement for Terry's leadership qualities.

But the Napoli player is a tough customer with a big heart, and his tackling style will win him many fans in England if he makes the switch to the Bridge.