Inter Milan identify Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly as Milan Skriniar replacement
According to Football.London, Inter Milan have identified Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly as one of the replacement candidates for Milan Skriniar.
Skriniar, whose contract at San Siro expires in the summer (Transfermarkt), hasn’t yet signed an extension and talks are in a stalled stage. Given his status, age, and ability, there won’t be shortage of suitors for a player such as him.
Chelsea were interested in signing the Slovakia captain in the summer and also since then, owing to the fact that he is likely to become a free agent at the end of this season.
The Blues signed Koulibaly in the summer window from Napoli. Although the Senegal captain made a slow start to life in west London, he started picking up the pace in weeks before the World Cup break.
We know that the 31-year-old is one of the best centre-backs in Europe. Letting him go after one season at the club would not be a sensible idea. Moreover, with Thiago Silva 38 now and having his contract expire at the end of this season (Transfermarkt), Chelsea need an addition in the centre-back department, not a subtraction.
We have been linked with the likes of Josko Gvardiol and Piero Hincapie, both of whom are promising young defenders and had an excellent World Cup, especially the former.
If Silva leaves in the summer, which is a likelihood, we would be left with three centre-backs – Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah. Out of those options, Koulibaly is far more experienced than the others and has leadership skills.
So, for the centre-back transition to take place, Graham Potter could do with the Senegal captain not going anywhere in the summer.
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Every logic points to the fact that Chelsea letting go of Koulibaly is not going to make any sense. Losing him and possibly Silva in the same window would push the progress of the team back in the defensive department.
