Kalidou Koulibaly COMPLETES £17m Al-Hilal transfer as Chelsea flog defender after just 12 months
CHELSEA have confirmed the sale of Kalidou Koulibaly to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal.
The defender leaves the club just a year after his £34million arrival from Napoli last summer.
Al-Hilal announced the signing on social media with a video captioned: “We’ll continue to make history together.”
The Saudi side have signed the 32-year-old for just half of what Chelsea paid for him, with the transfer fee set at £17m.
He featured just 32 times last season, meaning each appearance cost the club £1.06m.
Chelsea confirmed the transfer in a statement that read: “Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after completing a permanent transfer to Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal.
“The centre-back arrived from Napoli last summer and made 32 appearances for the Blues during his sole campaign at Stamford Bridge.
“The 32-year-old made his debut away at Everton and marked his first home game with a fantastic volley against Tottenham Hotspur. His other Chelsea goal also came in a London derby, away to Fulham.
“Midway through the campaign, Koulibaly captained Senegal to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar; the defender scored a crucial winning goal to help his country overcome Ecuador and reach the knockout stage.
“We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next stage of his career.”
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He follows the arrival of Wolves star Ruben Neves on Friday.
Koulibaly will not be the only Chelsea player to make the move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
N’Golo Kante has agreed a free transfer to Al-Ittihad, while goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is closing in on a move to Al-Ahli.
Hakim Ziyech is another star that could make a transfer to the Middle East as he is wanted by Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al-Nassr.
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