The Sun report that Chelsea may be prepared to finally give in and meet Napoli’s high asking price of £50 million for central defender Kalidou Koulibaly, but not until the summer. The Senegal international is preparing to head off to the African Cup of Nations with his national team at the end of January, and Chelsea do not want to foot the bill of his wages while he is away.
Instead, Antonio Conte and co. will make their move for the commanding defender in the summer, as they seek to secure the services of the man they failed to get in August.
John Obi Mikel, or Mikel John Obi as he is now known, is nearing an exit from Stamford Bridge after almost 10 years at the club as his agent has confirmed that there is a “50:50 chance” that he will leave in January, with his contract set to expire in the summer, with Valencia the latest club to be linked by Calciomercato.
The Nigerian is yet to figure in the first team since his return from the Olympics and has not been selected by Antonio Conte at all in any competition, indicating that if he does not depart in January, he certainly will in the summer.
He may be replaced by the recall of young Belgian midfielder Charly Musonda, currently on loan at Real Betis. AS say that the Blues are considering bringing him back to London after making only eight appearances this campaign and now struggling with a knee injury in Spain.
Musonda was on loan at the club last season and impressed, earning a loan extension, but has failed to live up to the standards that he set himself and has struggled for consistency in his eight La Liga appearances to date this year.
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