5 Players who could replace David Luiz at Chelsea
David Luiz joined Chelsea for a second spell in the summer of 2016. He went on to win the Premier League and a FA Cup with the club so far. He did reveal this year that had Antonio Conte stayed in charge he would have left the club.
Under Maurizio Sarri he has a new lease of life were he became a regular starter for the club. But it is clear that the trust Sarri he has not been awarded for that. The Brazilian has been largely inconsistent for the Blues.
In some games such as the one at home to Manchester City, the former PSG defender was rock solid, but apart from that, we have hardly seen a solid display from David Luiz. Despite this, the club is ready to offer him a new contract with one-year extension. But the Brazilian has rejected the offer and wants a new deal for a longer term.
The Blues have a policy of not offering a contract of more than one year to a player over 30 and the former Benfica defender is 31 now. The kind of performances he has given this season are not definitely not enough to convince Chelsea to break their policy and it seems like they would be happy to let him leave for free.
If he leaves they will have enter the market for a new defender, here are five defenders Chelsea should target to replace David Luiz-
#5 Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
Though the acquisition of the former Genk defender will definitely be expensive and it will require Chelsea to break all sorts of transfer records. But considering the performances he has given for Napoli over the years, he should be worth the money.
The Napoli defender is 6'4 in height, physically strong and he is quick as well. His strong presence at the back will give Chelsea a reliable defender compared to David Luiz. The Senegalese is only 26 years old and unlike David Luiz, he has shown that he can deliver good performances consistently.
Chelsea have been linked with a move for him, but a move never really materialized. But considering how badly they have been conceding goals, it would wise for Chelsea to spend big on a centre back like him. Manchester United and FC Barcelona also have been linked with a move for him.
While for Koulibaly, at Napoli he has only won an Italian Super cup while at Chelsea he will have the chance to challenge for major honours and big trophies every season.