Chelsea ready to part ways with £200k-a-week star signed by Thomas Tuchel | OneFootball

Chelsea are hoping to cash in on Kalidou Koulibaly at the end of the season.

The 31-year-old Senegal defender joined Chelsea at the start of the season for a fee of around £33 million from Napoli when Thomas Tuchel was in charge. However, he has not been able to live up to the expectations and the defender has been rather underwhelming with his performances.

A report from Evening Standard claims that Chelsea are prepared to cut their losses on him this summer but the player is reluctant to leave the club.

Apparently, the defender is on £200,000 per week and he wants to continue at Stamford Bridge. He knows he is unlikely to get similar wages at another club and it will be interesting to see how Chelsea offload a high earner like him.

It is evident that the 31-year-old has not been able to adapt to English football and he is unlikely to get regular opportunities at Chelsea next season.

The Blues already have Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile ahead of him in the pecking order. Levi Colwill has returned from his loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion and the youngster is likely to get first-team opportunities at Chelsea next year after his outstanding performances with the Seagulls.

Koulibaly will drop further down the pecking order and it makes sense for him to move on in search of regular playtime.

It will be interesting to see if Chelsea can find a suitor for the experienced defender in the coming weeks.

The 31-year-old was regarded as one of the finest defenders in European football during his time in Italy and he could still be a very useful option for most clubs if he manages to get back to his best.