Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed the message his former Napoli teammate Jorginho sent him about a move to Chelsea this summer.
The 31-year-old has now made the switch from Naples to London, having been a long-term target for the club in recent years.
He spent eight years at the Serie A side, making 317 appearances in all competitions for the club before sealing his £34 million move to Chelsea last week.
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Both he and Jorginho spent four seasons together at Napoli, before the latter signed for the Blues in the summer of 2018.
They have now been reunited four years later, with the Italian about to compete in his fifth season at Stamford Bridge.
Since his arrival at Chelsea, Koulibaly has revealed his excitement at joining the World Champions, stating he already feels at home at his new side.
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He said: "I am really excited to be here. I was looking forward to being with the team. I was in London three days ago. I was excited to be in this city, to play for this club.
"I want to thank the staff, the coach who wanted me, the boss. Everybody was really nice with me. I feel home."
The Senegal international also spoke about the role Thomas Tuchel played in getting the deal over the line, adding: “It was a really important detail for me. He called me and say he wanted me absolutely to come to Chelsea. I was really happy because we know him from Paris.
“When he came to Chelsea he direct called me and asked if I wanted to come. It didn’t happen before but today it comes.
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“I know he is a good man, a very good trainer. I am looking forward to working with him. I will do my best for him to be happy with me.”
Now, he has revealed to the official club website what Jorginho said to him in a message prior to his move to the club, saying: "One month ago Jorgi text me and asked if I wanted to come to Chelsea.
“I said I don’t know if they ask for me, I want to come. If they want me, I'll come with pleasure. After Edu made a small comment it was already done."
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Koulibaly will have to wait to make his first appearance in a royal blue shirt this summer with the centre-back unlikely to feature against Charlotte FC on Thursday morning (UK) in their next pre-season friendly, although Raheem Sterling is set to feature for the first time.
Tuchel's side will be keen to make it two wins from two, having beaten Club America 2-1 on Sunday thanks to goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount.
The German boss is set to manager in his second full season at the club, and he could soon welcome a new signing to the club as Jules Kounde approaches a move from Sevilla.
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Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal worth €50 million plus add-ons for the defender, who was close to move last summer.
Topics: Kalidou Koulibaly, Chelsea, Jorginho
Robert Calcutt