Chelsea could ditch Koulibaly for Skriniar

Chelsea could make a move for Inter Milan centre-back Milan Skriniar this month, in a shock transfer bid for a centre-back which may potentially jeopardise Kalidou Koulibaly‘s position in Graham Potter‘s team.

With Chelsea languishing in tenth place in the Premier League and having succumbed to defeat in seven of their past 11 games across all competitions, it has not been the buoyant beginning that the script depicted following Todd Boehly’s takeover of the club last year.

Indeed, Chelsea have spent a reported £377m since the beginning of last summer’s transfer window, with the £52.7m release clause of Christopher Nkunku also met several months ago ahead of a summer arrival, but the Blues’ American owner appears poised to delve into the market once again to combat the woes which have blighted the season at Stamford Bridge.

Skriniar is indeed the name being touted to bolster the backline at present, with Spanish media recently relaying reports from Italian outlet Calciomercato that the 27-year-old is destined for the San Siro exit following a conclusive breakdown in negotiations.

Regarded as one of the standout centre-backs in Italian football, the Slovakia defender has made 240 appearances for Inter since arriving from Sampdoria in 2017, and he now boasts a Transfermarkt value of €60m (£53m).

With Chelsea looking to pounce, Potter could could look to shuffle the pack within the Stamford Bridge ranks, with summer signing Koulibaly potentially being ousted from his position.

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Having made 20 appearances since his £33m move from Napoli six months ago, the 31-year-old has perhaps been one of the main scapegoats for Chelsea’s woes, with WhoScored recording his average rating in the Premier League this season at 6.75.

It was only last week that Ian Wright accused the Senegal defender of looking “anxious” and “nervy” in the Blues 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

Skriniar is four years younger than his positional peer, and with the possibility of him being snapped up on a cut-price deal of only €9m (£8m) this month before the end of his contract in the summer, it could be a very shrewd acquisition indeed for an ambitious Chelsea outfit looking to reassert their authority in the Premier League.

As such, it would not be a major surprise to see Boehly plunge back into the transfer market again over the coming weeks in order to a “monster” – as Skriniar was lauded by journalist Siavoush Fallahi – who could represent an improvement on Koulibaly and a turning of the tide after a worrying few months in west London.