Mercato: Kalidou Koulibaly, captain of Senegal, leaves Chelsea for Saudi Arabia

2023-06-26 13:12:56

Goodbye Chelsea, hello Saudi Arabia! Senegalese international defender Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea to play for Al-Hilal. The amount of the transfer is €23m.

The 32-year-old joined the capital from London last summer from Napoli, 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.

However, he played 32 matches in the Blues 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.

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, 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 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€ approximately, as well as Kai Havertz, courted by Arsenal who would be ready to pay 65 M€ for the German striker.

For Mason Mount, who has only one year left on his contract, Manchester United have made an offer of €64m, but Chelsea want even more.