Audio By Carbonatix
Chelsea have signed centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly on a four-year deal from Serie A side Napoli.
The Senegal international, 31, joined Napoli from Genk in 2014 and made 317 appearances for the Italian side.
His arrival at Stamford Bridge follows the departures of defenders Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona, both on free transfers.
"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 [Mendy] and Jorginho, they made my choice easier."
Koulibaly made his senior debut for Senegal in September 2015 and has since earned 62 caps, captaining the team to victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
He becomes Chelsea's second signing since the Todd Boehly-led takeover after Raheem Sterling joined the club in a £50m deal.
Boehly 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."
Latest Stories
-
Ghana to host Forty under 40 Africa awards
31 seconds -
Baba Jamal case offers opportunity to monitor money in politics – Sulemana Braimah
10 minutes -
Remand of East Legon developer sparks debate over ‘criminalising’ civil disputes
13 minutes -
EBID partners Women of Valour as headline sponsor for London 2026 event
27 minutes -
What’s the point in issuing statements?– Franklin Cudjoe criticises NDC over Baba Jamal u-turn
32 minutes -
Today’s Front pages: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
40 minutes -
Wacam demands investigation into officials after JoyNews galamsey extortion exposé
45 minutes -
New VAT won’t spike prices – GRA hits back at Abossey Okai traders
57 minutes -
GRA cracks down on VAT defaulters with new enforcement team
1 hour -
GREY launches first community education project focused on dignity and access
1 hour -
What gold and copper tell us about the new logic of mining investment in Africa
2 hours -
BoG revises directive on Net Open Position limits
2 hours -
They think we’ve stolen their cocoa – LBCs blame payment delays for farmer anger
2 hours -
FIDC Africa Infrastructure Conference 2026 launched in Accra
2 hours -
$185m unpaid – LBCs say Cocobod owes them for two seasons
3 hours
