Where Sterling and Koulibaly fit in Chelsea wage structure as Blues close in on £85m double transfer swoop

KALIDOU KOULIBALY and Raheem Sterling are on the verge of joining Chelsea as Thomas Tuchel prepares to bolster his squad.

Sterling is set to join for a deal worth up to £50million, while Napoli defender Koulibaly is expected to arrive for £35m.

Koulibaly, 31, will be Chelsea’s first defensive acquisition since the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

And Sterling will add to Tuchel’s firepower upfront after Romelu Lukaku departed for Inter Milan on loan.

According to Italian transfer expert , Koulibaly will pen a contract worth £162,000 a week at Stamford Bridge.

This will make him Chelsea’s fifth highest paid player.

But Sterling is set for a whopping £300,000 deal, according to The Athletic.

This would make him the club’s second highest earner.

Following Lukaku’s exit, Kai Havertz is the Blues’ top earner on a £310,000-a-week contract.

N’Golo Kante, linked with Arsenal, is in the final year of his £290,000-a-week deal – making him third behind Havertz and Sterling.

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German flop Timo Werner pockets £270k a week, while Ben Chilwell is their highest paid defender on £190k.

As  by Romain Collet-Gaudin, Koulibaly admitted on a potential move to Stamford Bridge: “I’ll confirm that later, but it’s on the right track.”

Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has also hinted that Koulibaly could be on his way out.

In a fan Q&A on Instagram, the Italian said: “I prefer Koulibaly to be with us always, especially as he would be captain this season.

“If he chooses to leave, we will never stop thanking him for all the help he has given us.

“If he wants to choose something else, we wish him all the best, because he deserves it.”

Nathan Ake has also been linked with a move back to Stamford Bridge worth at least £41m from Manchester City, having left Chelsea for Bournemouth in 2017.