Chelsea confirm Kalidou Koulibaly signing in €40m deal from Napoli

Kalidou Koulibaly has joined Chelsea from Napoli in a €40million (£33.8m) deal.

The centre-back’s arrival is a huge boost for Thomas Tuchel following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Koulibaly, 31, who captains the Senegal national team, has spent eight seasons at Napoli where he made317 appearances and has been named in the Serie A Team of the Season on four occasions.

As he did with the deal that brought Raheem Sterling to Stamford Bridge, new owner Todd Boehly played a key role in Koulibaly’s transfer and he is thrilled with the club’s latest new addition.

He said: ‘Todd Boehly, chairman and co-controlling owner, said, ‘Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the world’s elite defenders and we are delighted to be welcoming him to Chelsea.

‘A great leader and an exemplary team player, Kalidou brings a wealth of experience and attributes that will benefit our squad and the club as a whole.’

Koulibaly, meanwhile, will link up with two familiar faces at Stamford Bridge in the shape of his former Napoli teammate Jorginho and compatriort Edouard Mendy.

And the Senegal international revealed he sought advice from both before making the decision to jump ship to the Premier League after eight years in Serie A.

‘I’m very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea,’ said Koulibaly.

‘It’s a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn’t make it.

Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them.

When I spoke to my good friends Edou and Jorginho they made my choice easier so I’m really happy to be with you today.

‘I want to thank the fans because I saw a lot of them