Senegalese international defender Kalidou Koulibaly will leave Chelsea to play with Saudi team Al-Hilal, the English club announced on Sunday, without specifying the amount of the transfer.
The 32-year-old joined the capital from London last summer from Naples but he was generally disappointed during a very complicated season for the Blues who finished 12th in the Premier League and had three different coaches.
He still played 32 matches in the blue jersey and also led Senegal (70 selections), as captain, until the round of 16 of the last World Cup in Qatar, notably scoring a decisive goal in the last group match. against Ecuador.
LIVE – The transfer window: a new Chelsea player signs in Saudi Arabia, Koulibaly commits to Al-Hilal
The details of his contract with the Saudi Pro League club where Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, another defector from the Premier League, will also play have not been leaked. But the press evokes a transfer fee of around 23 million euros, for a player bought for 38 million euros a year ago.
Another Chelsea player has already joined the local league. N’Golo Kanté signed up free of any contract with the al-Ittihad club, where Karim Benzema will also play.
And they may not be the only Blues to join the lucrative Saudi league as Moroccan Hakim Ziyech, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are targeted by clubs in the kingdom.
Chelsea, who are in dire need of downsizing their squad and bringing in fresh money after spending 600 million euros on transfers last year, could also lose Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, leaving for Manchester City and 35 M EUR approximately, as well as Kai Havertz, courted by Arsenal who would be ready to pay 65 M EUR for the German striker.
The situation of English international midfielder Mason Mount, who has only one year left on his contract, is more delicate. Manchester United have made three offers, the latest of which was close to €64m. Chelsea are still hoping for a little more, but the Red Devils have said they are ready to explore alternatives if the Blues persist, according to the British press.
