Sports

Big-Name Player Transfers to Saudi Pro League Revealed: Middle East Football Shift

Al Hilal's sensational transfer agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to acquire Neymar, the holder of the world transfer record.

Big-Name Player Transfers to Saudi Pro League Revealed: Lucrative contracts continue to allure elite players to join the Saudi Pro League.

Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante signed with defending champions Al Ittihad, while Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly inked with Al Ahli and Al Hilal, respectively. Since then, transfer activity has continued.

Marcelo Brozovic has joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, Roberto Firmino has joined Al Ahli on a free transfer after leaving Liverpool, and Serbian superstar Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has accepted a sensational move to Al Hilal.

The Liverpool connection will be present elsewhere in the Saudi Pro League next season, as Fabinho moves to Al Ittihad and Jordan Henderson joins former Reds and England captain Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq. Now, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez has joined Leicester.

Al Hilal’s sensational transfer agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to acquire Neymar, the holder of the world transfer record, has been the most significant move thus far.

The Sporting News examines the most significant transfers to Saudi Arabia to date.

Big-Name Player Transfers to Saudi Pro League Revealed: Star departs for Saudi Arabia

Anderson Talisca was among the first notable players to enter the Saudi Pro League. After some time in China, he relocated to Al Nassr.

After the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when he left Manchester United to join Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo helped the league acquire a lot more traction. He helped them acquire a great deal more viewers and demonstrated to the Saudi Pro League hierarchy that they can attract major players. Sadio Mane, acquired by Al Nassr from Bayern Munich, has since joined him.

Benzema, winner of the Ballon d’Or, will earn £84m ($107m) annually for three years at Al Ittihad. The World Cup champion Kante will reportedly earn £67.6m ($86m) annually over the course of his four-year contract.

In June, Al Hilal’s £47,1 million ($60 million) acquisition of Ruben Neves from Premier League club Wolves established a new transfer record for the league, which was subsequently surpassed by former Barcelona winger Malcom.

The Brazilian international completed his transfer from Paris to Riyadh for a reported £76.9 million (approximately $97 million).

Player New Club Transfer fee Date Joined
Neymar Jr Al Hilal £76.9m ($97.8m) August. 2023
Habib Diallo Al Shabab £15.3m ($19.4m) August, 2023
Fabinho Al Ittihad £35.9m ($45.6m) August, 2023
Roger Ibanez Al Ahli £25.6m ($32.6m) August, 2023
Franck Kessie Al Ahli £10.6m ($13.4m) August, 2023
Sadio Mane Al Nassr £24m ($30m) August, 2023
Allan Saint-Maximin Al Ahli £23m ($29.3m) July, 2023
Riyad Mahrez Al Ahli £30m ($38.6m) July, 2023
Jordan Henderson Al Ettifaq £12m ($15.6m) July, 2023
Malcom Al Hilal £51.5m ($66.9m) July, 2023
Romain Saiss Al Sadd £2.2m ($2.8m) July, 2023
Alex Telles Al Nassr Free July, 2023
Seko Fofana Al Nassr £21.6m ($27.8m) July, 2023
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Al Hilal £34.2m ($44.6m) July, 2023
Roberto Firmino Al Ahli Free July, 2023
Marcelo Brozovic Al Nassr £15.4m ($19.6m) July, 2023
Jota Al Ittihad £25m ($31.7m) July, 2023
Edouard Mendy Al Ahli £16m ($20.2m) June, 2023
Karim Benzema Al Ittihad Free June, 2023
N’Golo Kante Al Ittihad Free June, 2023
Ruben Neves Al Hilal £47.1m ($60m) June, 2023
Kalidou Koulibaly Al Hilal £15.7m ($20m) June, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo Al Nassr Free January, 2023
Anderson Talisca Al Nassr £6.9m ($8.8m) July, 2021

Other personalities associated with the Saudi Arabia transfer

Fabrizio Romano reports that Al-Hilal have made a proposal of €300 million (£259.2 million/$332.6 million) for Paris Saint-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappé. The French titans are willing to sell the France captain if he does not extend his contract, which expires in 2024, and his arrival would elevate the level of transfer activity.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 14 Premier League goals in 2022/23, has not trained on Fulham’s US tour because he wishes to join Al-Hilal, who reportedly made two unsuccessful bids for the Cottagers’ leading scorer.

Fulham received improved news regarding manager Marco Silva, who stated he was “100% committed” to the club despite Al-Ahli’s €40 million (£34.6 million) two-year offer.

Former AC Milan and Valencia head coach Gennaro Gattuso has declined the offer, despite being explicitly contacted by Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

Big-Name Player Transfers to Saudi Pro League Revealed: International stars on Saudi Pro League teams

  • Al Ittihad: Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Romarinho, Jota, Fabinho
  • Al Nassr: Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson Talisca, David Ospina, Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, Seko Fofana, Sadio Mane
  • Al Hilal: Ruben Neves, Moussa Marega, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom, Neymar Jr
  • Al Shabab: Ever Banega, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Habib Diallo
  • Al Fateh: Cristian Tello
  • Abha: Felipe Caicedo
  • Al Ahli: Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin, Roger Ibanez. Franck Kessie
  • Al Sadd: Romain Saiss
Eric Joseph Gomes

Seasoned professional blog writer with a passion for delivering high-quality content that informs, educates, and engages readers.

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