Under contract with Al-Hilal until 2026, the Senegalese defender would be pushed out. With performances considered to be poor, he would have been excluded from the list for the Championship in order to make room for… Neymar.
Al-Hilal wants more, much more. Absolute dominator of Saudi football last season, the club coached by Jorge Jesus does not want to stop there this season. And to stay the course during this campaign where he is in the process of delivering a mano a mano with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, he would be ready to do without certain elements, and not the least, at mid-season. If Neymar’s departure seemed to be under consideration a few weeks ago, the one who is now talking the most is that of Kalidou Koulibaly. At 33, the former Napoli and Chelsea central defender is in his second year in Saudi Arabia. But after a long and good 2023-2024 season (44 matches), his performances in this 2024-2025 campaign would no longer meet the expectations placed on him.
KOULIBALY SACRIFICED FOR NEYMAR?
With 18 matches played for more than 1500 minutes, the captain of the Senegal National Team remains a starter for Jorge Jesus. However, the reigning champions of Saudi Arabia would be ready to make a drastic and surprising decision to part ways with him. According to information from Marca, AlHilal has decided to include Neymar on the list for the Championship, and this involves excluding Koulibaly. Even more surprising, the Spanish media specifies that the management of the Saudi club has decided to end the contract of the 2022 African champion or have him loaned, from the next transfer window, until the end of his contract which runs until in 2026. It now remains to be seen how Kalidou Koulibaly would welcome such a decision. What is certain is that the defender still has so much to offer at 33 years old.
Senegal
