Chelsea have bid for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly in a deal that could cost £34million.
New boss Antonio Conte wants a centre-half and Koulibaly is his main target despite Napoli saying they want the 25‑year‑old to stay. The Blues are offering £31.5m for the Senegal international with £2.5m in add-ons.
Chelsea have made their move as Manchester City are showing strong interest in their other targets, Everton’s John Stones and Leonardo Bonucci, of Juventus.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s £27m pursuit of Radja Nainggolan is over after the Belgium midfielder announced that he is staying at Roma.
Standard Sport reported last month that the Blues had switched their focus to Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante after failing in two bids for Nainggolan.
Roma have stood firm with their valuation of £37million for the 28-year-old, and the Blues have simply been unable to force through a deal.
The midfielder has since met with AS Roma’s sporting director Walter Sabatini
"I met with [Walter] Sabatini and everything went well," Nainggolan told reporters. "I am staying at Roma."
