Kalidou Koulibaly spotted in Saudi Arabia ahead of a ‘£20million move’ to Al-Hilal… as veteran defender prepares to lead mass exodus at Chelsea just ONE season after debut in west London
Kalidou Koulibaly has reportedly been spotted in Saudi Arabia after the Chelsea defender has been heavily linked with a move to the Middle East.
Having spent just one season in London, after joining Mauricio Pochettino’s side in a £34million deal from Napoli last summer, the 32-year-old is currently leading a mass exodus out of the club, with reports suggesting several other big names could follow him.
And it appears he could be very close to joining Saudi Pro League side, Al-Hilal, with Fabrizio Romano posting a video on his Twitter showing the Senegal captain in Riyadh.
Romano claims that the centre-back, who played 32 times for Chelsea across all competitions this season, will be sold ‘for a fee close to around £19-£20m (€23-€24m)’.
The video comes from news outlet Taggat, who also claim Koulibaly ‘arrived in the Saudi capital on Friday night’ and ‘will now undertake a medical’.
Kalidou Koulibaly (pictured) has been spotted in Saudi Arabia ahead of a £20m move to Al-Hilal
Koulibaly was reportedly seen in a video that is in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh walking towards a 4×4 vehicle and stepping inside
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is also reportedly on the verge of signing with Al-Ahli, while Hakim Ziyech could follow Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr, with the former Ajax forward set to be offered a bumper contract to entice him to the club.
Meanwhile, N’Golo Kante has already moved east to join the Saudi Pro League Champions Al-Ittihad after seven years at the club. Romelu Lukaku has also been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, but has, in the past few days re-affirmed his desire to play in Italy.
Cesar Azpilicueta is also close on a move to Inter Milan, with Mail Sport reporting that he could undergo a medical with the Nerazzurri in the coming days.
N’Golo Kante was the first Chelsea star to move to Saudi Arabia after he agreed a deal with Al-Ittihad
Koulibaly, meanwhile, will now likely follow Wolves defender Ruben Neves, who yesterday delivered a speech to fans of the midlands club.
Neves will join Al-Hilal on a club-record transfer of £47m, despite having been very close to a move to Barcelona earlier this summer.
In an emotional video posted on the club’s Twitter, the Portuguese footballer said he had ‘made thousands of memories which will last forever’.
Koulibaly now looks set to follow, with reports suggesting he’s now moving closer to a move to the Saudi Pro League.
He was a regular face in the Chelsea squad this season, starting 20 of the 23 league matches he appeared in this season, with a hamstring injury holding him back towards the later stages of the campaign.
During his time in Napoli, he established himself as one of European football’s top defenders, playing 317 times returning 14 goals and eight assists across all competitions.
His impressive performances in the Italian top-flight caught Chelsea’s attention last summer, with the Senegalese international coming in to replace outgoing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger who left to join Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Koulibaly (left) joined the club in 2022 and has spent one season at Chelsea making 23 league appearances for the club
Hakim Ziyech (right) is another Chelsea player who could be set to move to the Middle East
The Senegalese defender will follow Wolves’ Ruben Neves (pictured) to Al-Hilal, who yesterday released a video on the club’s Twitter announcing his departure
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is also believed to be nearing a move to Inter Milan
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian sides have no doubt been making waves in the transfer market of late, with Al-Ittihad notably acquiring 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema in a mammoth three-year deal worth around £258million.
With money to spend, clubs in the Pro League are certainly starting to turn heads of many top talents, with Bernardo Silva now being linked with a move to Al-Hilal.
Yet the potential departure of some English football’s top talents has attracted the scrutiny of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.
The former Man United defender demanded the ‘Premier League investigate Saudi Arabia’s trading’ while the ex-Liverpool captain claimed: ‘Saudi Arabia have taken over Golf, the big Boxing fights & now they want to take over football!! This sports washing needs to be stopped!’
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