Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after completing a £20m permanent transfer to Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal.
He signed a four year deal as one of a number of signings brought in as Todd Boehly oversaw an ill-fated £600million overhaul to the Blues team.
Koulibaly made 32 appearances and scoring twice in all competitions for Chelsea during his time at the club.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s final days was marred with a hamstring injury towards the end of the season which limited his involvement as Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League.
The club’s statement 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,” the statement concluded.
Kalidou Koulibaly will be joining Ruben Neves in addition to Matheus Pereira and Andre Carrillo as teammates at the 68,000-seat King Fahd International Stadium.
Al Hilal have won a record four AFC Champions League titles and are one of the most successful clubs in the Saudi Pro League.
The Riyadh-based club made headlines after the attempted to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, offering the Belgium international a reported £21m-a-year deal.
Koulibaly will also be joined by some Chelsea stars who are likely to depart the club this summer as incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino looks to overhaul his squad ahead of the coming campaign.
Fellow Champions League-winner Edouard Mendy is on the verge of leaving Chelsea ahead of a move to Al-Ahli to join Kalidou Koulibaly.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is also set to join EPL Champions Man City in a £25m deal and Kai Havertz will join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, with an official announcement expected soon.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly is a footballer who was born on 20 June, 1991 and plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Senegal national team.
The former Chelsea defender began his professional club career with French team Metz in 2010, before moving to Belgian club Genk in 2012, winning the Belgian Cup in his first season.
