Chelsea lost $21 million because of Koulibaly after 12 months

Saudi Arabia Chelsea agreed to sell centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly to Al Hilal for half the price they paid for him.

Yesterday, June 25, Chelsea announced the sale of Koulibaly to Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia). The English team earned 21.5 million USD, while spending 43 million USD to buy him from Napoli in 2022.

Last season, Koulibaly played 32 matches for Chelsea. On average, including salary, bonuses and transfer fees, the 32-year-old center-back cost the Stamford Bridge team $1.35 million per match. Koulibaly scored two goals for Chelsea. The first was a volley against Tottenham in the second round of the 2022-2023 Premier League. The other goal came in the seventh round make-up match, a 1-2 loss to Fulham.

Koulibaly celebrates scoring against Tottenham in a 2-2 draw on August 14, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Chelsea finished the 2022-2023 Premier League season in 12th place. The Stamford Bridge team was also eliminated in the third round of the FA Cup, the third round of the English League Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Next season, Chelsea will not be able to participate in the European Cup.

"We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch," Chelsea said in a statement. "We wish him the best in his next phase."

Before joining Chelsea, Koulibaly was the captain of Napoli. The Senegalese centre-back played eight seasons, 317 games and scored 14 goals for the Italian side. He is one of Napoli's top 10 players.

Koulibaly is Al Hilal's second major signing this summer. The former AFC Champions League champions spent $60 million to sign Ruben Neves from Wolves. Last season, Al Hilal finished third in the Saudi Pro League, behind Al Ittihad and Al Nassr, but won the King's Cup. Al Hilal will continue to compete in the AFC Champions League next season.

Koulibaly is not the only Chelsea player to move to Saudi Arabia. Previously, N'Golo Kante joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer. Chelsea are also selling goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to Al Ahli and winger Hakim Ziyech to Al Nassr.

Thanh Quy (according to CFC )

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