Kalidou Koulibaly has reportedly been deemed surplus to requirements by Al-Hilal (Image: GETTY)
Kalidou Koulibaly will be axed from the Al-Hilal squad and is likely to have his contract terminated after failing to impress in the Saudi Pro League, according to reports.
The former Chelsea defender has struggled to perform following his move from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023. This season, he has started for Al-Hilal in most league games but is seemingly not wanted by manager Jorge Jesus.
As a result, Koulibaly will be axed from the squad so that Neymar can be registered to play when he returns from a hamstring injury, according to Marca.
Neymar has been restricted to just seven appearances for Al-Hilal since joining them from Paris Saint-Germain. He is nursing another knock at the moment but is expected to be fit again within the next few weeks.
The former Chelsea defender will be sacrificed to make room for Neymar in the squad (Image: GETTY)
His return will spell bad news for Koulibaly, who is set to be sacrificed to make room for his Brazilian team-mate. Club bosses are said to be underwhelmed by his recent displays at the back and have deemed him surplus to requirements.
The report adds that Al-Hilal will either terminate Koulibaly’s contract or loan him out to another club until his deal expires in 2026.
It remains to be seen where the former Chelsea man will go next, with reports suggesting that he could join Juventus. He has been offered to the Italian giants but they are hesitant to proceed due to his age and decline in form, according to Foot Italia.
A return to Chelsea would also seem highly unlikely, given that Koulibaly failed to impress during his initial stint in west London.
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He is still keeping a close eye on developments at Stamford Bridge, though, having recently suggested that Nicolas Jackson has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or if he keeps developing at his current rate.
Discussing the forward’s improvements since joining the Blues last summer, Koulibaly said: “Nico Jackson has to believe he can be world class. All the players who have won the Ballon d’Or believed they could, so you have to put this in Nico’s head.
“I don’t tell him to be selfish and ignore his team-mates, but he has to think about the Ballon d’Or. If you put this image in his head, he can achieve it and that’s what I tell him all the time.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1984451/Chelsea-Saudi-Pro-League-Kalidou-Koulibaly