Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly set for Al-Hilal move

Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are on the cusp of finalising a move to sign Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Senegalese defender will undergo medical examinations before signing on the dotted line. The deal is expected to be made official as early as this weekend.

Koulibaly will leave Chelsea just one year after completing a €40 million move from Napoli, having failed to live up to expectations in his debut Premier League campaign.

The Senegal international made 32 appearances last season as the Blues finished a massively underwhelming campaign in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Chelsea are keen to trim the size of their squad, having splurged recklessly over the last two transfer windows, and Koulibaly is one of several high-profile players on the chopping block.

The 32-year-old leaves Stamford Bridge just one year into his four-year deal and will be joined in the Saudi Pro League by several of his Chelsea teammates.

Romano confirmed two days ago that Chelsea and Al-Hilal had reached a verbal agreement on the transfer fee.

The three-year deal is all but wrapped up, with only final details remaining before the centre-back joins former teammate N’Golo Kante in Saudi Arabia.

Kante, whose contract with Chelsea was due to expire at the end of this month, signed a three-year contract with Al-Ittihad worth around £86m, ending his seven-year association with the Blues.

More departures are expected from the club, with Edouard Mendy closing in on a move to Al-Ahli while Hakim Ziyech is on his way to Al-Nassr.

Mateo Kovacic is also set to join Manchester City in a £25m move. Kai Havertz is one step away from joining Arsenal, while Manchester United remain interested in Mason Mount despite seeing three bids knocked back.