Inter Milan-linked Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has turned down a big money offer from Al-Ittihad as he wants to stay in Europe.
This according to French news outlet TeamFootball.fr, who report that the 31-year-old former Napoli man was approached by the Saudi Pro League club, but would be more inclined towards returning to Serie A.
Despite having only just joined Chelsea last summer, Koulibaly could already be on his way this summer.
The Senegalest international has failed to replicate his form from Napoli at Stamford Bridge. Accordingly, the Blues could be ready to offload Koulibaly.
One offer has arrived in the form of Al-Ittihad. The Saudi giants have already signed former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema on enormous wages.
N’Golo Kante is also expected to leave Chelsea and join the Saudi club.
As with the Saudi Pro League in general, Al-Ittihad are ready to keep making eye-catching moves for top stars from Europe.
Chelsea Star Koulibaly Turns Down Al-Ittihad & Prefers Serie A Return
According to TeamFootball, Koulibaly has no intention of making the move to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career.
The Senegalese believes that he still has plenty left to give at the top level. Even though he’s close to turning 32, Koulibaly is aiming for a move to a club at a high level in Europe.
The French outlet report that Inter are in pole position to sign the Chelsea man.
Inter are aiming to make defensive reinforcements in the summer.
Replacing Milan Skriniar is a priority, given that the Slovakian will leave to join Paris Saint-Germain.
In this sense, Koulibaly would represent a lot of experience and proven quality in the Italian top flight, in spite of his underwhelming stint at Stamford Bridge.
Moreover, the futures of all of Stefan de Vrij, Francesco Acerbi, and Danilo D’Ambrosio are also up in the air.
Reportedly, Chelsea star Koulibaly is one of Inter’s main targets to replace Skriniar.
The Nerazzurri are reportedly in ongoing talks with Chelsea regarding a number of players. One of them is Koulibaly, who they want to loan for next season.