Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues willing to offer Napoli defender €10 million per year, Petr Cech promises a busy summer ahead, and more - June 12, 2022

Chelsea are hoping to use the summer to stamp their authority in the league and Europe next season.

Manager Thomas Tuchel failed to defend their Champions League trophy last season and only managed a third-place finish in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the Blues are ready to offer a Napoli defender €10 million per year to move to Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, Petr Cech has promised a busy summer ahead for the Blues.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on June 12, 2022:

Chelsea willing to offer Kalidou Koulibaly €10 million per year

Chelsea are willing to hand Kalidou Koulibaly a deal worth €10 million per year this summer, according to Sport Witness via Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Senegalese defender has been a pillar at the back for Napoli, but his current contract is set to expire next summer. The 30-year-old currently earns €6 million per year, but the Serie A side are offering him a new deal worth only €4 million a year.

The Blues are ready to intervene and prise him away and are even willing to hand him a significant raise.

Koulibaly could earn approximately €190,000 per week should he agree to move to London. Napoli are likely to allow him to leave for €40 million, but Chelsea could face competition from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Barcelona for his signature.

Petr Cech promises busy summer ahead for Blues

Chelsea technical director Petr Cech says the club are preparing for a busy summer ahead. The Blues are likely to invest in the squad, with multiple areas in need of attention.

Speaking recently, Cech said that the London giants will attempt to be as strong as possible next season.

"I live on the phone! It will be a busy summer. We will plan, prepare and try to be as strong as we can next season. I think everybody knows where we are in terms of the team. Of course we will try to strengthen the team. We want to do the best possible and be ready to compete next season. It’s going to be a tough season with a World Cup in between, so we need to be ready for that," said Cech.

Cech reflected on Chelsea's 2021-22 campaign, saying that the club struggled to cope with COVID-19 at the tail end of last year.

"We won two major trophies, and we lost two finals on penalties, which was unfortunate. It’s true that we dropped points around November and December last season, when we struggled with Covid; this is where the difference was made, in my opinion. We hope we can avoid that and remain consistent and challenge everyone next season," said Cech.

Cech went on to heap praise on Thomas Tuchel for leading his team through the storm.

"He’s done an incredible job and last season he handled the whole situation very well and managed to pull his team through. I hope he can continue like that," said Cech.

Roberto Martinez says Romelu Lukaku just wants to feel important

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez says Romelu Lukaku just wants to feel important. The Chelsea striker has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after a less than impressive 2021-22 campaign.

Speaking to the press, Martinez said that the 28-year-old is fully focused on recovering from injury.

"He wants to be important and enjoy his football. I’m sure the decision in the summer will be the right one. In Belgium, we are quite relaxed with Romelu’s situation. I know it is a big topic, but at the moment he is trying to recover from the injury and that’s the only thing he has in his mind.

He added:

“If he stays at Chelsea it will be for the right reasons. If he’s moving away it will be because everyone agrees to it. Romelu is a player I know very well. I managed him at club level (at Everton) at a very young age. He was 19 and had a very different position than he has now. Now he’s a player who is very mature and very clear what he wants.”