Chelsea FC has sold another professional footballer to Saudi Arabia. According to the London first division soccer club, Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly (32) is moving to Al-Hilal on Sunday (June 25, 2023), and a fee of more than 20 million euros is under discussion.
Chelsea pros Edouard Mendy (31), Hakim Ziyech (30) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) are said to be on the verge of a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
Chelsea FC had recently invested hundreds of millions of euros in new players and now has to reduce its squad, also with a view to the financial rules in European football. However, the club’s dealings with Saudi Arabia are viewed with suspicion. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund holds shares in Chelsea’s majority owner, the US investment company Clearlake, and is thus supposedly interested in the club’s balance sheets being in order.
Several veterans in Saudi Arabia
Other top professionals from Europe had recently also been drawn to Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr. World footballer Karim Benzema and his French compatriot N’Golo Kanté (32) will be in action for Al-Ittihad in the future.
The Saudi sovereign wealth fund now holds a majority stake in four of the country’s top clubs. The clubs were converted into companies for this purpose. The move is said to be part of an investment project for sports clubs in the country, which should also make them more attractive to international stars.