PIF are keen on acquiring the services of 31-year-old Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly ahead of next season.
According to Sport Zone via Get Football, Saudi Arabia’s PIF have their eyes on Kalidou Koulibaly. Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League, a lot has changed and quite a few players have been linked with a move to Saudi.
Chelsea’s 31-year-old centre-back is the latest name to have been linked with a move to the Middle East. Koulibaly has failed to make a name for himself in England and we could see him join any of the Saudi Pro League clubs in a big money move ahead of next season.
The Senegalese international was amongst the best defenders in world football a few years back. And, he had been the mainstay for Napoli for quite a few years.
On the back of his dominance for years, the Blues acquired him ahead of the 2022-23 season with high hopes. However, things haven’t gone according to plan and the player has failed to live up to the expectations.
Meanwhile, the Blues have signed a lot of young players over the last two windows and their major focus at this point in time is offloading players that are not in the plans of new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
And, as things stand, the 31-year-old is not a part of the plans of the former Spurs boss and he is open to the idea of the former Napoli star leaving. However, they will only let him leave if the party interested, buys out his contract that runs until the summer of 2026.
With Chelsea ready to sell, PIF are keen on having him in the Saudi Pro League. They recently acquired Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner. And, are now linked with numerous players from across Europe.
The PIF plans to make the Saudi Pro League one of the best leagues in the world and are ready to spend a fortune on signing the biggest names out there. They want to sign Koulibaly and would like him to join Al-Ittihad. But, they won’t mind if he wants to join any other club.
The player is keen on joining the Middle East league and talks are ongoing between the two parties. As a result, it will be interesting to see if Koulibaly ends up playing in the Saudi Pro League next season.
