With Chelsea closing in on signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi is seen as one of the prime candidates to replace the Senegalese in Naples.
According to journalist Gianluca di Marzio, Napoli have identified Francesco Acerbi as one of the potential replacements for Kalidou Koulibaly.
The report suggests that Chelsea could complete the signing of the Napoli centre-back on Wednesday. The Serie A club was interested in extending the defender’s contract.
But now that Chelsea have extensively pushed for a transfer, it is unlikely that Napoli could keep hold of their valued asset.
Luciano Spalletti is thus preparing for a life beyond Koulibaly. The Partenopei have already signed Leo Skiri Østigård from Brighton and Hove Albion, but his services will not be able to fill the imminent void. Therefore, signing another centre-back is deemed a necessity for the Naples-based side.
It is understood that Napoli could sign Acerbi from Lazio for a transfer fee of around €5 million this summer. Lazio have already given their consent to a transfer for the Italy international. Besides Acerbi, Fenerbahçe defender Kim Min-jae remains a transfer option for Spalletti’s club.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
