Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed that a deal to join Chelsea is "on the right track", with the Premier League club also reportedly in talks with Manchester City over the return of Nathan Ake.
Chelsea are in the market for defensive reinforcements after the departures of Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta could also leave but that will likely depend on Chelsea's ability to sign a replacement for the versatile Spaniard.
Koulibaly has been linked with a transfer to Chelsea in the past and a move could materialise this summer after the Senegal international's agent, Fali Ramadani, met with club representatives. It is being reported that a fee for Koulibaly, who has entered the final year of his contract, will be around £34 million.
Juventus are also understood to be keen on Koulibaly but Napoli would prefer a deal with Chelsea to avoid selling one of their best players to a direct rival.
The 31-year-old centre-back appeared to confirm talks are ongoing over a possible move to Chelsea and was quoted as saying: "I'll confirm that later, but it's on the right track."
Koulibaly has been a mainstay of the Napoli defence since joining the Serie A side in 2014, making 314 appearances in all competitions and helping to establish the club at the top end of Italian football. He has been capped 62 times by Senegal and was the captain of the team which won the Africa Cup of Nations title in February.
Chelsea are also reportedly closing in on a deal for Manchester City defender Ake, which would see the Netherlands international return to Stamford Bridge five years after leaving for Bournemouth.
According to the BBC, talks over a deal for Ake are at an advanced stage, with multiple reports claiming the transfer fee would be in the region of £45m.
Kalidou Koulibaly is quoted as saying a move to Chelsea is "on the right track". AFP
Ake joined Chelsea as a youth player in 2011 and spent five years at the club, although rarely featured in the first team and spent most of that time out on loan. He joined Bournemouth in 2017 for a club record £20m and after impressing on the south coast, moved to City for £40m in 2020.
The 27-year-old Dutchman, who can play at centre-back and left-back, has struggled to hold down a regular place in Pep Guardiola's side but is viewed by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel as an ideal fit for his three-man central defence.
Should the move go through it would see Ake immediately reunite with England forward Raheem Sterling, who is expected to be imminently announced as the Blues' first major signing of the summer .
Nathan Ake could be set for a return to Chelsea. AFP
A fee of around £50m has been agreed between Chelsea and City for Sterling, who has entered the final year of his contract with the Premier League champions.
Chelsea are in the United States for a pre-season tour and the club are hopeful that Sterling will be available for their opening tour match against Club America in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The reigning world champions are also reportedly considering approaches for Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry and AC Milan's Rafael Leao having appeared to miss out on top target Raphinha, with the Leeds winger set to join Barcelona.
75 notable summer transfers Perr Schuurs - Ajax to Torino (£8m). AFP
Paco Alcacer - Villarreal to Sharjah (loan). Getty Images
Matheus Nunes - Sporting to Wolves (£38m). AFP
Tanguy Nianzou - Bayern Munich to Sevilla (£16.9m). AFP
Alan Virginius - Sochaux to Lille (£3.8m). AFP
Thilo Kehrer - PSG to West Ham (£10.1m). Getty Images
Pervis Estupinan - Villarreal to Brighton (£15.1m). Getty Images
Destiny Udogie - Udinese to Tottenham (£15.1m). Loaned back to Udinese. Reuters
Sergio Gomez - Anderlecht to Manchester City (£11m). Photo: Manchester City
Alex Collado - Barcelona to Elche (loan). AFP
Remo Freuler - Atalanta to Nottingham Forest (£9m). AP
Marc Bartra - Real Betis to Tranbzonspor (undisclosed fee). Getty Images
Giovani Lo Celso - Tottenham to Villarreal (loan). Getty Images
Cheikhou Kouyate - Crystal Palace to Nottingham Forest (free). Getty Images
Emmanuel Dennis - Watford to Nottingham Forest (£20m). Getty Images
Nico González - Barcelona to Valencia (loan). AP Photo
Luca Pellegrini - Juventus to Eintracht Frankfurt (loan). AFP
Daniel Wass - Atletico Madrid to Brondby (£1.7m). EPA
Pablo Marí - Arsenal to Monza (loan). AP
Dries Mertens - Napoli to Galatasaray (free). AFP
Jordan Veretout - Roma to Marseille (£9.3m). Reuters
Christian Benteke - Crystal Palace to DC United (undisclosed fee). AFP
Maxwell Cornet - West Ham United to Burnley (£17.5m). PA
Georginio Wijnaldum - PSG to Roma (loan). AFP
Lucas Torreira - Arsenal to Galatasaray (£5m). AFP
Marc Cucurella - Brighton to Chelsea (£55m). Getty Images
Ademola Lookman - RB Leipzig to Atalanta (£12.6m). PA via AP
Renato Sanches - Lille to Paris Saint-Germain (£12.6m). AFP
Riqui Puig - Barcelona to LA Galaxy (free). AP Photo
Alex Telles - Manchester United to Sevilla (loan). AFP
Carney Chukwuemeka - Aston Villa to Chelsea (£20m). Reuters
Kasper Schmeichel - Leicester City to Nice (£1m). AFP
Mattia Viti - Empoli to Nice (£10.9m). AFP
Gabriel Slonina - Chicago Fire to Chelsea (£8.3m). Reuters
Bernd Leno - Arsenal to Fulham (£3m). AFP
Charles De Ketelaere - Club Brugge to AC Milan (£26.8m). AFP
Joe Rodon - Tottenham to Stade Rennais (loan). AFP
Borja Mayoral - Real Madrid to Getafe (£8.4m). EPA
Cesc Fabregas - Monaco to Como (free). EPA
Alexis Beka Beaka - Lokomotiv Moscow to Nice (£11.7m). AFP
Marcus Tavernier -Middlesbrough to Bournemouth (£10m). Getty Images
Aaron Ramsey - Juventus to Nice (free). AFP
Orel Mangala - Stuttgart to Nottingham Forest (£12.7m). AFP
David Raum - Hoffenheim to RB Leipzig (£21.8m). Getty Images
Oscar Mingueza - Barcelona to Celta Vigo (£2.5m). Getty Images
Jules Kounde - Sevilla to Barcelona (£45m). AFP
Dwight McNeil - Burnley to Everton (£20m). Getty Images
Arnaud Kalimuendo - PSG to Rennes (£21m). Getty Images
Filip Kostic - Eintracht Frankfurt to Juventus (£14.4m). EPA
Salvatore Sirigu - Genoa to Napoli (free). Reuters
Mikkel Damsgaard - Sampdoria to Brentford (£12.7m). EPA
Malang Sarr - Chelsea to Monaco (loan). AFP
Issa Diop - West Ham United to Fulham (£15m). Getty Images
Alexis Sanchez - Internazionale to Marseille (free). Getty Images
Timo Werner - Chelsea to RB Leipzig (£18m). AP
Amadou Onana - Llle to Everton (£33.8m). AFP
Emirhan Ilkhan - Besiktas to Torino (£3.8m). PA
Gonçalo Guedes - Valencia to Wolves (£27.5m). AP Photo
Conor Coady - Wolves to Everton (loan). Getty Images
Anthony Modeste - Cologne to Borussia Dortmund (£3.8m). EPA
Angeliño - RB Leipzig to Hoffenheim (loan). Getty Images
Marcos Senesi - Feyenoord to Bournemouth (£12.6m). AFP
Isco - Real Madrid to Sevilla (free). EPA
Raheem Sterling - Manchester City to Chelsea (£50m). Getty Images
Lisandro Martinez - Ajax to Manchester United (£46m). Getty Images
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich to Barcelona (£38.3m). AFP
Hugo Ekitike - Reims to Paris Saint-Germain (loan). AFP
Thomas Henry - Venezia to Verona (£3.8m). Getty Images
Takefusa Kubo - Real Madrid to Real Sociedad (£5.2m). Getty Images
Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli to Chelsea (£33.8m). EPA
Chancel Mbemba - Porto to Marseille (free). EPA
Breel Embolo - Borussa Monchengladbach to Monaco (£10.6m). EPA
Christian Eriksen - Brentford to Manchester United (free). PA
Raphinha - Leeds United to Barcelona (£49m). Getty Images
Federico Bernardeschi - Juventus to Toronto FC (free). Getty Images
Andrea Cambiaso - Genoa to Juventus (£5.9m). Getty Images
Arturo Vidal - Inter Milan to Flamengo (free). Getty Images
Mohamed Bayo - Clermont to Lille (£11.8m). AFP
Francisco Trincao - Barcelona to Sporting (loan). Getty Images
Samu Castillejo - AC Milan to Valencia (undisclosed fee). PA
Lewis Ferguson - Aberdeen to Bologna (£3m). PA
Keane Lewis-Potter - Hull City to Brentford (£16m). PA
Alessio Romagnoli - AC Milan to Lazio (free). Getty Images
Nathan Collins - Burnley to Wolves (£20.5m). PA
Andriy Yarmolenko - West Ham United to Al Ain (free). AP Photo
David Ospina - Napoli to Al Nassr (free). Getty Images
Kristian Thorstvedt - Genk to Sassuolo (£8.4m). Reuters
Andreas Pereira -Manchester United to Fulham ( £10m). Getty Images
Gabriel Jesus - Manchester City to Arsenal (£45m). Getty Images
Steven Bergwijn - Tottenham Hotspur to Ajax (£26.5m). AP Photo
Andreas Christensen - Chelsea to Barcelona (free). AFP
Sébastien Haller - Ajax to Borussia Dortmund (£30.8m). AFP
Flynn Downes - Swansea City to West Ham United (£12m). PA
Junior Messias - Crotone to AC Milan (£3.8m). Reuters
Luis Sinisterra - Feyenoord to Leeds United (£21.3m). AFP
Brais Méndez - Celta Vigo to Real Sociedad (£12.8m). Getty Images
Moussa Niakhaté - Mainz to Nottingham Forest (£8.7m). Getty Images
Romeo Lavia - Manchester City to Southmpton (£12m). AP Photo
Tyler Adams - RB Leipzig to Leeds United (£20m). AP
Axel Witsel - Borussia Dortmund to Atletico Madrid (free). EPA
Maya Yoshida - Sampdoria to Schalke (free). AP Photo
Tyrell Malacia - Feyenoord to Manchester United (£12.9m). AP Photo
Zeki Celik - Lille to Roma (£6m). AFP
Ritsu Doan - PSV Eindhoven to Freiburg (£6.5m). AFP
Divock Origi - Liverpool to AC Milan (free). AFP
Rolando Mandragora - Torino to Fiorentina (£7m). EPA
Joao Palhinha - Sporting to Fulham (£17m). Getty Images
Franck Kessie - AC Milan to Barcelona (free). Getty Images
Trezeguet - Aston Villa to Trabzonspor (£3.4m). AFP
Kalvin Phillips - Leeds United to Manchester City (£45m). Reuters
Giulian Biancone - Troyes to Nottingham Forest (£5m). AFP
Giuliano Simeone - Atletico Madrid to Real Zaragoza (loan). EPA
Raoul Bellanova - Cagliari to Inter Milan (loan). Getty Images
Richarlison - Everton to Tottenham (£50 million). PA
Fabio Carvalho - Fulham to Liverpool (£5 million). PA
James Tarkowski Burnley to Everton (free). Getty Images
Sime Vrsaljko - Atletico Madrid to Olympiakos (free). AP Photo
Dean Henderson - Manchester United to Nottingham Forest (loan). PA
Luuk de Jong - Sevilla to PSV Eindhoven (£3.4m). AP Photo
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Roma to Inter Milan (free). Reuters
Cenk Tosun - Everton to Besiktas (free). Reuters
Andre Onana - Ajax to Inter Milan (free). Getty
Moussa Sissoko - Watford to Nantes (£2m). AFP
Corentin Tolisso - Bayern Munich to Lyon (free). AFP
Vitinha - Porto to Paris Saint-Germain (£34m). AFP
Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea to Inter Milan (loan). PA
Lorenzo Insigne - Napoli to Toronto FC (free). AP
Sven Botman - Lille to Newcastle United (£31.9m). AFP
Takumi Minamino - Liverpool to Monaco (£15.5m). Getty Images
Alphonse Areola - Paris Saint-Germain to West Ham United (£7.8m). AFP
Lucas Leiva - Lazio to Gremo (free). Getty Images
Joselu - Alaves to Espanyol (free). Getty Images
Matt Turner - New England Revolution to Arsenal (£4.7m). Reuters
Fernandinho - Manchester City to Athletico Paranaense (free). PA
Bartol Franjic - Dinamo Zagreb to Wolfsburg (£6.9m). Getty Images
Wahbi Khazri - Saint-Etienne to Montpellier (free). AFP
Tobias Figueiredo - Hull City to Nottingham Forest (free). PA
Pietro Pellegri - Monaco to Tornio (£3.9m). Getty Images
Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City. Getty Images
Malcolm Ebiowei - Derby County to Crystal Palace (undisclosed). PA
Taiwo Awoniyi - Union Berlin to Nottingham Forest (£17m). Getty Images
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid to Los Angeles FC (free). PA
Lucas Alario - Bayer Leverkusen to Eintracht Frankfurt (£5.6m). PA
Sadio Mane - Liverpool to Bayern Munich (£28m). Getty Images
Armindo Sieb - Bayern Munich to Greuther Fürth (undisclosed fee). Getty Images
Nick Pope - Burnley to Newcastle (£10m). PA
Ki-Jana Hoever - Wolves to PSV Eindhoven (loan). PA
Ryan Fredericks - West Ham United to Bournemouth (free). Getty Images
Mario Götze - PSV Eindhoven to Eintracht Frankfurt (£3.4m). Getty Images
Fabio Vieira - Porto to Arsenal (£30m). EPA
Antonio Rudiger - Chelsea to Real Madrid (free). PA
Merih Demiral - Juventus to Atalanta (£17.2m). AFP
Giovanni Simeone - Cagliari to Hellas Verona (£10.3m). AP
Marc Roca - Bayern Munich to Leeds United (£10m). PA
Yves Bissouma - Brighton to Tottenham (£25m). PA
Gavin Bazunu - Manchester City to Southampton (£12m). PA
Darwin Nunez - Benfica to Liverpool (£64.3m). PA
Aurelien Tchouameni - Monaco to Real Madrid (£85.3m). AFP
Nemanja Matic - Manchester United to Roma (free). EPA
Ryan Gravenberch - Ajax to Bayern Munich (£20m). EPA
Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus to Los Angeles FC (released). Getty Images
Cameron Carter-Vickers - Tottenham to Celtic (£6m). AFP
Alexandre Lacazette - Arsenal to Lyon (free transfer). AFP
Updated: July 13, 2022, 6:07 AM