Kalidou Koulibaly Joins Al-Hilal After Chelsea Accept £14m Loss On Senegal Captain

Al-Hilal's summer recruitment drive continued on Sunday when Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly signed from Chelsea in a transfer said to be worth £20 million.

Al-Hilal's summer recruitment drive continued on Sunday when Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly signed from Chelsea.

Both clubs confirmed the deal in statements published on their official websites.

Chelsea's statement began: "Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after completing a permanent transfer to Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal."

Neither club mentioned a transfer fee in their statement but, according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea will receive £20 million from Al-Hilal.

Although that is £14m less than Chelsea paid to Napoli when Koulibaly moved to Stamford Bridge in July 2022, it represents decent value for a 32-year-old who was largely unimpressive in 23 Premier League appearances last season.

Nevertheless, Koulibaly is another player whose arrival will raise the profile of Al-Hilal and the Saudi Pro League internationally.

After posing for pictures in his new Al-Hilal kit, Koulibaly said in a video posted on Twitter: "I'm here with those who make the glory in the present and future."

🎬 We’ll continue to make history together 🤝💙#AlHilal_Video #AlHilal
pic.twitter.com/CsIQNVGyh8

— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) June 25, 2023

Koulibaly's move to Al-Hilal came just days after Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves completed a £47m switch from Wolves.

Al-Hilal is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which also owns Al Nassr and Al-Ittihad.

Saudi champions Al-Ittihad signed French duo N'Golo Kante and Karim Benzema earlier this month.

Those deals came months after Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr.

Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after just one season in England :: IMAGO/Gribaudi/ImagePhoto