Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has become the latest footballer to head to Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Hilal from Chelsea.

Last year, Koulibaly moved from Napoli to the Blues for a reported £33 million ($42 million).

But the 32-year-old had trouble in the Premier League, where Chelsea finished 12th, their worst finish in the league since 1994.

“Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after completing a permanent transfer to Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal,” Chelsea said in a statement.

“We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next stage of his career.”

Kalidou Koulibaly has completed a move to @Alhilal_FC. ✍️

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 25, 2023

With help from the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Saudi Pro League is luring big names from the top European leagues by offering them huge salaries.

In January, when Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr, the trend began.

Karim Benzema, who played with him at Real Madrid, and N’Golo Kante, who won the World Cup for France while he was at Chelsea, have recently joined Al-Ittihad.

Chelsea could make even more money from the Saudi money.

Edouard Mendy, a custodian, is close to moving to Al Ahli, and Hakim Ziyech, a winger from Morocco, is close to moving to Al Nassr.

The English club has spent more than £500 million on new players in the past year, so it needs to sell players before the end of the month to try to meet financial fair play rules.