“Better call John Terry” - Kalidou Koulibaly asks Chelsea legend for #26 shirt in heartwarming phone call

Kalidou Koulibaly will wear the number 26 shirt for Chelsea.

Chelsea center-back Kalidou Koulibaly posted a video of himself on a phone call with Blues' legend John Terry, asking for his permission to take the fabled No. 26 shirt.

The Senegal international joined the Premier League outfit from Napoli earlier this summer for a fee of around £33 million as Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger left on free transfers to Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

Thomas Tuchel had to reinforce the defensive line and he did so by signing the 31-year-old from Napoli. Kalidou is set to wear the No. 26 for the Blues - a number that Terry made iconic during his tenure in West London.

However, before the official announcement, Koulibaly wanted to seek Terry's permission. He was heard saying to Terry:

“John I wanted to ask you something because like you know, I played with the 26 in Napoli and I see that, since you left the club, nobody has taken the 26. I don’t know if you retired it or if nobody wants to take it, but I wanted to ask you if it’s possible to take it."

Terry responded by saying:

“Listen, the 26 was very special to me. Yeah mate, I really appreciate you calling and it’s no problem for me for you to take it, absolute pleasure. I wish you well because I know how important the number was to me and I’ve obviously seen you wear 26 as well so, it’s my pleasure mate, I give you the 26."

Here's the complete video:

📌 July 15th, 2022

Better call…@JohnTerry26 💙
Honored and Proud 🙏🏿

#KK

@ChelseaFC https://t.co/uYeVA5y7PL

Terry wore No. 26 at Chelsea from 1998 until he left the club in 2017. Nobody had taken up his number until Koulibaly's arrival from Italy.

Inter Milan reject Chelsea's bid for Denzel Dumfries

According to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Inter Milan have rejected an offer from Chelsea for Denzel Dumfries.

Training mode 🔛⚫🔵 #ForzaInter https://t.co/LS3T5lxhbu

The right-back is valued at €40 million and the Blues' offer fell short of that mark. The 26-year-old signed for 'I Nerazzurri' in the summer of 2021 from PSV Eindhoven.

He played in 33 Serie A games for Simone Inzaghi's side in his debut season, scoring five goals and providing five assists.

Chelsea have Reece James as their undisputed right-wing-back in Thomas Tuchel's set-up. However, Cesar Azpilicueta's potential departure could leave them short of options down the right flank. Dumfries could compete with James for a starting berth or he could be signed as a backup for the Englishman.