Bosnia And Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
South Korea

Koulibaly pens emotional parting message to Napoli ahead of Chelsea transfer

mirror.co.uk, 15 July 2022, 18:08
Confirmation of Kalidou Koulibaly's £34million transfer from Napoli to Chelsea is just a matter of time after the 31-year-old defender posted a farewell message on Instagram Kalidou Koulibaly has said goodbye to Napoli

Kalidou Koulibaly has written an emotional farewell message to Napoli fans ahead of his transfer to Chelsea.

Koulibaly is set to be officially announced as a Chelsea player in the coming days after the club struck a £34million (€40m) deal to sign the centre-back on a long-term contract. The 31-year-old completed his medical in London on Thursday and will become the second signing of the Todd Boehly era, following Raheem Sterling, who has already joined in a £50m deal from Manchester City.

The Senegal international has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time thanks to some consistent performances for Napoli. Now, with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen gone on free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, Chelsea have finally made the transfer a reality.

Koulibaly joined Napoli in a £6.5m move from Belgian side Genk in 2014 and went on to make 317 appearances for the Italian club. He leaves Naples behind having forged quite the bond with the club's fans, so has paid tribute in an Instagram post shared with his 1.9m followers.

Alongside a video showing clips of his stand-out Napoli moments cut with scenes from the city, Koulibaly wrote: "1 June 2014, an unforgettable date: my arrival in Naples, the beginning of a story of pure love. I was a shy boy, but with a great desire to show the world that I could do it!

"Victories, defeats, joys, disappointments. Too many emotions lived together: impossible to summarise them. But I keep everything: in my mind, in my heart.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Kalidou Koulibaly be a success at Chelsea? Comment below.

"My two children were born in Naples. I have met people who will forever be part of my life and who made me and my family feel at home: from the first to the last moment. Thanks to you, Naples, I became the man I am today.

"Thanks to the club, the President, the coaches, all my teammates and all the people I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. Thank you, Naples and Neapolitans, for all the love we have given each other.

"I am proud to have honoured you with all of myself and I will continue, indefinitely, to carry you in my heart and to nurture one of the most important feelings for me: respect. You have been everything for me. Now I feel I have to leave and get back into the game: it's time for a new adventure."

Koulibaly won't be the only defender arriving at Stamford Bridge this summer. Chelsea are also in negotiations with Manchester City over Nathan Ake, who want £40m for the Netherlands international who started his career with the Blues but made just 17 appearances before being sold to Bournemouth for £20m in June 2017.

Chelsea are also eyeing up Paris Saint-Germain star Presnel Kimpembe after Bayern Munich muscled in on Juventus ' Matthijs de Ligt. Kimpembe played under Tuchel at PSG and is close to both the Chelsea manager and his former team-mate and centre-back partner Thiago Silva.

Show more

Top News

11 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tranmere vs. Fleetwood (Tuesday, 7.45pm) Looking to turn their fortunes around, struggling Tranmere Rovers welcome Fleetwood Town for their rescheduled matchday 16 League Two fixture this Tuesday. 11 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Coventry vs. QPR (Tuesday, 7.45pm) Frank Lampard's Coventry City will hope to bounce back from FA Cup disappointment when they host Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday in the Championship at the Coventry Arena. 11 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brest vs. PSG (Tuesday, 5.45pm) Frequent foes in the French top flight, Paris Saint-Germain and Brest swap Ligue 1 for the Champions League on Tuesday evening, colliding in the first leg of their playoff tie at the Stade Francis-Le Ble. 11 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has predicted the winner of the knockout round playoff tie with Manchester City will go on to win the Champions League. 11 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti have addressed the controversy from the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash between their respective sides. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has reportedly reached an agreement to join Brazilian side Flamengo in the summer. 10 February 2025 talksport.com Manchester City must axe Pep Guardiola if they fail to get past Real Madrid in the Champions League. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by five points in the middle of the Championship table, Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday will square off in South Wales on Wednesday. 10 February 2025 talksport.com Abdoulaye Doucoure has criticised Frank Lampard's treatment of him during his time as Everton manager. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde during the summer transfer window. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly growing in confidence that they will complete the signing of Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia this summer after last year's failed move. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has reportedly attracted interest from Chelsea and Newcastle United ahead of the summer transfer window. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The pick of Tuesday's Champions League playoff first-leg matches undoubtedly comes from the Etihad, where 2022-23 winners Manchester City and current holders Real Madrid square off in a clash of the titans. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly prepared to let Casemiro leave on loan to Flamengo before the end of the month. 10 February 2025 talksport.com Stars of the FA Cup fourth round Plymouth Argyle have been rewarded for their stunning win over Liverpool by being drawn against Manchester City. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Plymouth Argyle have been handed another mammoth task in the FA Cup fifth round having been drawn against Manchester City. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Benfica travel to the Stade Louis II for the second time this season to face Monaco in the Champions League knockout round playoffs on Wednesday night. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool go to Goodison Park for a Merseyside derby against Everton for the final time on Wednesday night in the 245th iteration of the fixture. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's "best chance" of quelling the "almighty threat" of Real Madrid in the Champions League could be to select almost the same defence that excelled during their treble-winning season, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole. 10 February 2025 talksport.com Manchester City host Real Madrid this Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League play-off blockbuster. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Abdukodir Khusanov performed well in Man City's FA Cup win over Leyton Orient and there were signs to suggest that he has the potential to develop into a "special player", Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will ring the changes again when they welcome Bayern Munich to Glasgow in the Champions League on Wednesday. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich could be largely unchanged from the team that beat Werder Bremen when they go to Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday night. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will play their first Champions League knockout match for 12 years when they welcome German giants Bayern Munich to Glasgow on Wednesday night. 10 February 2025 talksport.com Joao Felix has admitted he'd welcome the opportunity to stay at AC Milan despite being on loan from Chelsea. 10 February 2025 talksport.com A former Chelsea midfielder has returned to the UK in a new role over a decade after becoming a pastor in Canada. 10 February 2025 talksport.com While Harry Kane is well on course to win the first trophy of his career, he's already got numbers two and three on his mind. 10 February 2025 talksport.com A former Premier League star has quietly resigned from his latest managerial post after just 20 days. 10 February 2025 talksport.com Plymouth goalkeeper Conor Hazard hailed 'incredible' Pilgrims manager Miron Muslic after their FA Cup giant-killing of Liverpool. 10 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Joao Felix has revealed whether he would be willing to consider a permanent transfer from Chelsea to AC Milan during the summer.
Something went wrong! Don't hesitate to let us know if you need any help.