Chelsea: Koulibaly hitch; new deal for Willian; Manchester United target midfielder?

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Chelsea’s pursuit of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly appears to have a hit a stumbling block after the Italian club demanded £50 million for the player. The London Evening Standard reports that only a British transfer record for a defender would be enough to tempt the Naples-based club to sell, however, the Blues are hopeful that they can lower Napoli’s valuation for the Senegal international.

Koulibaly is reportedly involved in a contract dispute with his current club after demanding a similar wage to that of star man Marek Hamsik, and Chelsea are hoping to capitalise on the situation by tempting the 25-year-old to make the switch to Stamford Bridge. Everton are also believed to be chasing the player, but with neither club able to offer Champions League football, the chances of Koulibaly leaving Italy seem unlikely if Napoli decide to offer him the deal that he is looking for.

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Although John Terry has signed up for another season at the club, manager Antonio Conte will almost certainly be planning for life after the Chelsea captain. Koulibaly appears to be his main target this summer, and it has also been rumoured that Juventus’s Leonardo Bonucci and Roma’s Kostas Manolas are also on the Italian’s radar. With Terry, Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma being the club’s only senior centre-backs right now, it is clear that Conte is lacking a world-class player in this position. If he is to effectively implement the three-man defence that he has become renowned for, Conte will require at least one more quality centre-back, so don’t expect his pursuit of Koulibaly to end any time soon.

Meanwhile, one man who has signed up for another four years at the Bridge is Willian. The 27-year old joined Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 and has been one of their most consistent performers ever since. Last season was hugely disappointing for the Blues and with 13 goals in 59 games, Willian was one of few to come out of it with anything to be proud of.

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The Brazilian had been linked with a move to Manchester United earlier in the summer but has extended his contract at his current club until 2020 instead. He told Chelsea’s website “It’s a dream to continue with this club and over the next four years I will try to help the team win more trophies”. The news will come as a huge boost to Conte, as well as Chelsea supporters, who voted for him as their player of the season for 2015/16.

Finally, The Daily Mirror are reporting that former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho could move for Cesc Fabregas as he attempts to bolster Manchester United’s midfield options.

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With Conte currently attempting to shake-up his own midfield options, Mourinho is supposedly biding his time in order to see whether Fabregas has a future at Stamford Bridge. The 29-year-old was one of a number of senior players that failed to perform last season and it is possible that his new manager would be willing to let him move on if the right offer arrived. Mourinho was a big fan of Fabregas and although United are currently pursuing Paul Pogba, failure to lure the Juventus midfielder to Old Trafford could lead to them turning to their attentions towards the Spaniard, if reports are to be believed

If Fabregas is to remain at Chelsea he will certainly have to prove himself to Conte after just five goals and seven assists last season. As one of the club’s most influential players, Fabregas shoulders some of the responsibility for Chelsea’s 10th placed finish last season, and Conte will have to assess what role the former Arsenal man will play under him.

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