The announcement was made by the English club Chelsea, which did not specify the amount of the transfer of the Senegalese international defender Kalidou Koulibaly to the Saudi team of Al-Hilal. It’s a new step for the 32-year-old who joined the London club last summer from Napoli.
Overall, his season had been disappointing and complicated, like the Blues team which finished 12th in the Premier League and went through three different coaches. Koulibaly still played 32 games in the blue jersey and led Senegal (70 caps) as captain, until the round of 16 of the last World Cup in Qatar, notably scoring a decisive goal in the last pool match against Ecuador.
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. However, the press evokes a transfer fee of around 23 million euros for a player bought 38 million a year ago.
He joins another Chelsea player, N’Golo Kanté, in the Saudi league, who 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 Édouard 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 cash after spending 600 million euros on transfers last year, could also lose Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, leaving for Manchester City for 35 million euros approximately, as well as Kai Havertz, courted by Arsenal who would be ready to pay 65 million euros 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 close to 64 million euros, but Chelsea are still hoping for a little more. The Red Devils have said they are ready to explore alternatives if the Blues are stubborn, according to the British press.