Chelsea are allegedly on the brink of confirming the signing of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
After adding Raheem Sterling to his Blues squad earlier this week, head coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that he would now be prioritising replacements for defensive pair Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who have both left on free transfers.
While Chelsea are known to have interest in other centre-backs at the current time, significant progress has been made in their pursuit of Koulibaly.
Earlier this week, it was claimed that a £34m deal had been agreed for the Senegal international, the player himself adding that the transfer was "on the right track".
Now, according to football.london, the 31-year-old has successfully come through his medical in London over the past 24 hours.
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The report adds that Koulibaly has agreed to pen a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with the club possessing the option to extend those terms by a further 12 months.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has backed up that report by saying that Koulibaly is now effectively a Chelsea player and the wait is now on for Chelsea to officially confirm the deal.
Koulibaly will be bringing to an end an eight-year period in Naples, where he has made a total of 317 appearances in all competitions.
The player, who represents Senegal alongside Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, will almost certainly command a place in Tuchel's first-choice XI, whether that be a back three or four.
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However, there is the potential for two more centre-backs to arrive in due course, including Man City's Nathan Ake, who started his professional career with the West Londoners.
While a £45m deal is said to have been agreed between the relevant parties, Chelsea may have to wait until the Premier League champions have found a direct replacement.
Tuchel is also allegedly hoping to secure a reunion with Presnel Kimpembe, a player whom he worked with during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea will reportedly have to pay £42m if they want to get a deal for the France international over the line.
Darren Plant
