The dream of having Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same competition will not happen anytime soon, which is a bummer. But that won’t deter the Saudi Pro League from trying to elevate their football as they continue to pursue some of the sport’s biggest stars.
Messi is all-in for Inter Miami in the MLS, while the same can be said for Ronaldo in Al-Nassr. But based on the latest Saudi Pro League 2023 updates, it seems that Ronaldo will face much tougher competition after this summer than Messi.
Al-Nassr are doing their part in trying to surround Ronaldo with more top talent, but their title rivals such as Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are doing their homework too.
Chelsea’s fire sale may bring in more stars
Three Chelsea players are on the market as the Blues plan to raise funds. Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Hakim Ziyech were placed on the trading block, and they’re closing in on lucrative moves to some Saudi Pro League clubs.
The Chelsea trio was deemed misfits after a lacklustre campaign, which saw them fall outside of the Premier League Top 10 this season.
Mendy lost his place in goal to Kepa Arizzabalaga, while Ziyech was supposed to move to PSG on loan in January, only for the deal to collapse after Chelsea’s document gaffe, and Koulibaly hasn’t lived up to the hype since his arrival last summer.
Ziyech reportedly wants to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo, so he has agreed to personal terms with Al-Nassr. Mendy has also agreed to personal terms with Al-Ahli, while Al-Hilal are negotiating with Koulibaly’s camp.
With the three players leaving soon, the Telegraph reports that Chelsea are expecting to receive “upwards of £50 million combined” for all these transfers with the Saudi Pro League. That would help the Blues in their pursuit of the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, and Gabri Veiga.
Other than Mendy, Koulibaly, and Ziyech, Chelsea are also looking to offload Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. N’Golo Kante was the first Blues player to leave Stamford Bridge after recently signing with Al-Ittihad.
Al-Hilal have their new midfield star
Wolves captain Ruben Neves is set to leave the Premier League this summer after agreeing to a £47 million transfer with Al-Hilal. The switch will bring an end to Neves’ six-year stint at Molineux, where he scored 30 goals in 253 appearances.
With one year left on his current contract at Wolves, the Portuguese playmaker was actually coveted by Barcelona, but the La Liga side has not been able to come up with a lucrative offer, so Neves ultimately chose to move to Saudi Arabia.
Neves will be paid handsomely in Saudi Arabia, as it is reported that he is likely to get in excess of £300,000 per week untaxed, which is something the Wolves simply cannot afford.
The departure of Neves will ease the financial burden that the Wolves are under, which will allow them to further bolster their squad this summer. Although Neves will be missed, Julen Lopetegui has options in the midfield such as Mario Lemina, Matheus Nunes, Joe Hodge, Joao Gomes, and Boubacar Traore.
And the funds from the Neves deal will be used to strengthen their striker depth this summer, with Raul Jimenez getting older and Sasa Kalajdzic still recovering from an ACL injury.
Al-Ittihad keen on adding another top striker
After acquiring Karim Benzema two weeks ago, Al-Ittihad plan to further strengthen their SBOTOP Saudi Pro League 2023 odds of repeating next season by trying to bring in a Premier League star to join the Frenchman in the final third.
Heung-Min Son has emerged as a shock transfer target for Al-Ittihad, with the defending Saudi Pro League champions reportedly opening their transfer bid in the region of €60 million plus add-ons for the Spurs winger.
In terms of wages, Son has been offered a four-year contract worth €30 million per season. However, Tottenham are planning to resist any bids, especially since Son has two more years left on his current contract with the team.
The South Korean has been an important player for Tottenham since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. In his 371 appearances for Spurs, Son has scored 145 goals.
Other than Son, Tottenham are also fending off any bids for Son’s frontline partner, Harry Kane, amid interest from Real Madrid, Manchester United, and PSG.
Unlike Son, though, Kane has only one year left on his current Tottenham contract, which means that he may leave the club on a free transfer next year.
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