Napoli want Chelsea striker after agreeing deal to send Koulibaly the other way

Napoli are interested in Chelsea striker Armando Broja and asked for him to be part of the deal that took Kalidou Koulibaly to Stamford Bridge, according to reports in Italy.

The Blues have agreed a fee of €40m (£33.8m) to sign Koulibaly from Napoli as they look to rebuild a defence that has been shredded by the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

The move for Koulibaly is yet to be announced, but with the fee agreed it appears that Napoli have not got their wish to include Broja as part of the deal.

Italian newspaper based in Naples Il Mattino reports that club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is a big fan of the 20-year-old striker and tried to get him involved in the Koulibaly deal.

While that appears not to have happened, the Serie A side are still interested in Broja and are keen on a loan deal for the upcoming season.

West Ham, Everton, Newcastle and Southampton are all credited with an interest in the Albania international, who spent last season on loan with the Saints, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

Chelsea are yet to make a decision on his future and he has a chance to impress manager Thomas Tuchel after flying out to America to join the squad on their pre-season tour.

After the departure of Romelu Lukaku on loan to Inter Milan, the Blues have signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, but with their other forward options being Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic, Tuchel does not have a recognised centre-forward at his disposal.

He may want to keep Broja around as a different option in attack, with a long season, competing on four fronts, to come.

Chelsea are playing Club America, Charlotte and Arsenal while in the States, before heading to Italy to play Udinese in their