Image copyright Getty Images
Kalidou Koulibaly has played 71 international matches for the Senegal national team
Kalidou Koulibaly has become the latest Chelsea player to move to Saudi Arabia after the Senegalese defender completed a move to Al Hilal for an undisclosed fee.
The 32-year-old defender joins Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal for £47million.
Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has also agreed a move to Saudi club Al-Ittihad, while teammate Edouard Mendy is close to joining Al-Ahly.
Koulibaly moved to Chelsea from Italian club Napoli last July on a four-year deal.
After leading Napoli to win the Italian Cup in 2020 and Senegal to win the African Cup of Nations in 2022, Koulibaly arrives at “Stamford Bridge” with vast European and international experience.
But he has made just 32 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring twice in 23 Premier League appearances.
“From my first match to my last, it has been an honor to wear this armband,” Coulibaly said on Twitter.
“Last season didn’t go the way we wanted, but I want to thank the fans and everyone at the club for your support,” he said.
Chelsea have not revealed how much Al Hilal paid for Koulibaly’s services – but reports suggest it could be as much as £20million.
Koulibaly’s move to Saudi Arabia follows the departure of several top players from European clubs to Saudi Arabia, a trend that began with Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Manchester United to Al Nasser in January.
Karim Benzema then moved to Al-Ittihad from Real Madrid at the end of the season, and in recent weeks reports suggested Arsenal’s Thomas Partey and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva could be heading to Saudi Arabia.
The move reflects the Saudi league’s ambition to become one of the top five leagues in the world after a decision last June by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns Newcastle United, to buy four major clubs. Country.
There is also doubt as to whether the public investment fund has a stake in private equity firm Clearlake Capital, which owns Chelsea, although sources at the club have dismissed any indication of a direct relationship.
However, the number of players transferred from Chelsea to the Saudi league could rise to four by the end of this summer, as reports suggest Saudi clubs are also interested in signing Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech.
The transfers come as part of a wider process taking place behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge as new manager Mauricio Pochettino works to rebuild the squad.
German striker Kai Havards will join Arsenal in a £65m deal, while Chelsea have accepted Manchester City’s bid for the services of Croatian midfielder Mateo Covacetti for £30m.
“Explorer. Problem solver. Certified reader. Incurable web expert. Subtly charming travel guru. General student. Twitter evangelist.”
