Chelsea fans call Koulibaly ‘legend’ as Saudi-bound ace urges Lukaku to join him
Chelsea fans have dubbed Kalidou Koulibaly a “club legend” after reports emerged of the Saudi-Arabia-bound star pushing for Romelu Lukaku to do the same.
The centre-back, 32, only joined Chelsea last summer but is already set to depart after a miserable first season in England. Koulibaly is now close to joining Al-Hilal on a lucrative three-year deal as one of several stars to be making the switch to the Saudi Pro League.
And the Senegalese veteran is also working to convince his out-of-favour Chelsea teammate Lukaku, 30, to do the same.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Koulibaly has attempted to sell the Al-Hilal project to Lukaku, who spent last season on loan with Inter Milan.
READ MORE: Chelsea buy majority stake in football club while flogging players to Saudi Arabia
Lukaku returned to Chelsea in 2021 for a then-club record fee of £97.5million but failed to impress. He demanded a return to Inter after falling out with the west London club but was only able to secure a loan move.
His future with the Blues is still unclear. Chelsea are not believed to be interested in letting him go out on loan again and are looking for ways to offload the striker permanently.
At the same time, Al-Hilal have offered a £77m sum for the Belgian which Chelsea hope Lukaku will agree to. And fans on Twitter have reacted to news of Koulibaly helping to complete the transfer by labelling him a “legend”.
Do you think Romelu Lukaku will go to Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments section.
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One Twitter user wrote: “Club legend in my book,” while another tweeted: “Proper Chels confirmed.”
A third commented: “True Blue,” and a fourth added: “Koulibaly doing the Lord’s work, let’s go.”
Meanwhile, another fan proposed: “Give Kalidou an exit bonus for this if it’s true. Top work!”
Despite the centre-back’s best efforts, Lukaku is believed to want to stay in Europe with Inter, who do not appear to have the funds needed to sign him again permanently.
Lukaku scored 14 goals and notched seven assists in all competitions last season as the Italian side reached the Champions League final. Having been brought on as a second-half substitute, he was involved in two massive chances which Inter missed, as Manchester City clinched their first European Cup.
