Chelsea Rekindle Interest in Napoli Centre-Back Kalidou Koulibaly

Chelsea have reportedly reignited their interest in the highly-rated Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly amid the club's bid to address defensive woes.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League powerhouse reached out to the player's representatives to discuss the possibility of capturing his services this summer.

Chelsea tried to take the 31-year-old to Stamford Bridge last summer, but to no avail, as Partenopei bigwig Aurelio De Laurentiis refused to let their prized asset go.

However, things may change this time around.

Koulibaly's contract runs out in 12 months, putting Napoli in an awkward position this summer.

The Italian heavyweights can either cash in on their in-demand defender in the coming months or accept the risk of losing him on a free transfer next summer.

De Laurentiis is still undecided over the ex-Genk man's price tag, but there is no way he could get over the £80m he was asking for a year ago.

Thomas Tuchel sees the Senegal international as an ideal defensive addition following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

But Chelsea are not alone in the race to sign Koulibaly, with Juventus reportedly lurking in the shadows.

With Matthijs de Ligt's future in Turin hanging by a thread amid Bayern Munich's pursuit of the Dutchman, Massimiliano Allegri is in the market for a new defender.

Unfortunately for the record-time Serie A champions, De Laurentiis has already made it clear he has no intention of letting his star join direct title rivals.

That leaves Chelsea as clear-cut favourites to land Koulibaly.