Chelsea have entered the race to sign Werder Bremen’s centre-back Karim Coulibaly, according to Florian Plettenberg.
Coulibaly has developed through the youth systems in Germany, featuring for Bramfelder SV, HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst and Hamburger SV before graduating from SV Werder Bremen’s academy.
The 18-year-old was regularly involved with the senior squad during pre-season and made his first-team debut as a late substitute in a defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last August.
Since then, he has continued his development, becoming — when fit — a regular figure in central defence for Bremen, starting 22 matches in their Bundesliga campaign.
It has been a challenging season overall for the club, who currently sit 14th and are battling relegation. Still, Coulibaly has been one of the standout positives under head coach Daniel Thioune, and his performances have now piqued the interest of several clubs.
One of the clubs to be impressed by Coulibaly is Chelsea, according to Florian Plettenberg, who claims that the world champions have entered the race to sign the exciting centre-back.
The German transfer expert adds that the Blues view the Germany international as a ‘top talent’ with immense qualities, having been impressed by his development in Germany.
It appears Chelsea are looking to accelerate efforts to sign the 6ft 3in star, as Plettenberg reports that the London giants are 100% planning to make a formal move for Coulibaly in the summer.
Exciting prospect
However, the Blues face stern competition from Real Madrid, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli, all of whom are also closely monitoring the German centre-back, according to the report.
Chelsea already possesses an abundance of highly rated centre-backs across both their academy and senior setup.
Josh Acheampong has now been fully integrated into the first team, while Mamadou Sarr remains a key part of the club’s long-term plans following his return from a loan spell at Strasbourg.
In addition, the Blues reached an agreement in principle in November to sign highly regarded Colombian defender Deinner Ordóñez from Independiente del Valle once he turns 18, further strengthening an already youthful and promising defensive rank.
While a move for a promising talent like Isak Coulibaly would be logical, Chelsea require immediate and reliable reinforcement at centre-back.
Hence, the reported £34–43m valuation, according to Plettenberg, may be better spent on a more established option capable of stepping straight into Liam Rosenior’s defensive setup without an extended development period.
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