Chelsea have completed the signing of Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly as their transfer window picks up speed.
Just a day after landing Man City and England superstar for Ā£47.5million, the Senegal captain joins for a Ā£34m fee.
Koulibaly, 31, has signed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge as he ends an eight-season association with his former club.
A previous target for the Blues, the Naples side final relinquished their grip on the player who had just one year left on his contract in Serie A.
āIām very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea,ā said Koulibaly.
āItās a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didnāt make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them. When I spoke to my good friends Edou and Jorginho they made my choice easier so Iām really happy to be with you today.
āI want to thank the fans because I saw a lot of them in London and on the plane everybody was happy for me to be here. So I want to thank them and I hope the season will be really good and we will give some good moments to the fans.ā
Todd Boehly, chairman and co-controlling owner, said, āKalidou Koulibaly is one of the worldās elite defenders and we are delighted to be welcoming him to Chelsea. A great leader and an exemplary team player, Kalidou brings a wealth of experience and attributes that will benefit our squad and the club as a whole.ā
An Africa Cup of Nations winner this year, Koulibaly is already with his new teammates, including compatriot Edouard Mendy, in America.
The Blues are in the country for their pre-season tour with games against Club America, Charlotte FC and then Arsenal coming up.
And Koulibaly wonāt be the last bit of business done by new owner Todd Boehly and manager Thomas Tuchel.
The German is keen to get his squad back on track after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.
āThe stakes are high and weāre competing not only against the best teams who have ever played in the Premier League but also the best coaches,ā Tuchel toldĀ Sky Sports earlier in the week.
āThe signing of Raheem shows what weāre capable of doing, it shows the ambition of the club and the ownership and itās good because weāre all here to win and compete.
āWe love to compete and we love the challenge at the very top. For that we need signings of new quality players or otherwise thereās no chance.ā
The Blues are currently being linked with Presnel Kimpembe from Paris Saint-Germain as another possible addition.
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