HAKIM ZIYECH, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly have reportedly all reached full verbal agreements on transfers to Saudi Arabia.
The Chelsea winger, 30, goalkeeper, 31, and centre-back, 32, are surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge following Todd Boehly’s mammoth spending spree.
And now Fabrizio Romano claims deals are virtually done for the trio to become the next Chelsea players to make the switch to the Middle East this summer.
N’Golo Kante, whose contract in West London expired this month, completed a whopping £86million contract with Al-Ittihad.
Ziyech will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after agreeing personal terms with the Saudi Pro League outfit and an agreement is in place with Chelsea.
The Moroccan is set to put pen to paper on a three-year contract until 2026.
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Ziyech was on the brink of joining Paris Saint-Germain on loan in the January transfer window.
However, the move collapsed when Chelsea failed to submit the completed paperwork in time.
And now Mendy – who lost his place in goal to Kepa Arrizabalaga and refused a new contract – has also found a new club with Al-Ahli set to seal a deal until 2026.
The contract is set to be signed imminently to confirm the Senegal stopper’s Blues exit.
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Both Mendy and Ziyech’s Stamford Bridge deals were due to expire in 2025, meaning they will likely get transfer fees for the Champions League winners.
Koulibaly only joined Chelsea last year and has three years left to run on his contract but has an agreement in place with Al-Hilal – again until 2026.
Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang could also move to Saudi Arabia as Chelsea continue to clear out their deadwood – to trim down the bloated squad and help balance the books to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
Romelu Lukaku, though, is reluctant to make the move despite the Blues wanting to sell their £97.5m striker.
The dealings, though, have left rival clubs angry and accusing Chelsea of using a “get out of FFP jail free card”.
They want an investigation into the Saudi spending, especially as news emerged that the Saudi state’s Public Investment Fund had invested billions of pounds into Clearlake Capital, the majority owners of Chelsea.
The seeming ability to offload unwanted players for big transfer fees – Al-Hilal look set to pay £25m for Koulibaly – could prove a controversial loophole, understandably leaving other clubs desperate for action.
Wolves sold captain Ruben Neves to Al-Hilal for £47m while Saudi representatives are said to be in a posh London hotel this week to thrash out more transfers.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
