As transfer deadline day gets ever closer so the Saudi Pro League teams appear more determined to land their targets, and one Newcastle United flop could end up being the next big name to move from the Premier League to the Middle East.
There doesn’t appear to be a day that goes by at the moment without more and more players either being linked to the Saudi Pro League or actually putting pen to paper.
Most recently, Neymar signed an astonishing contract with Al Hilal, and he joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the poster boys for the region.
The Brazilian could soon be joined by another big name, though one who didn’t do so well when he was on Newcastle’s books.
That may have been the reason why the Magpies first loaned Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham before completing a permanent deal to take him to the west London outfit.
According to Newcastle World (subscription required), the Fulham striker is closing in on a move to Al Hilal, which the outlet describe as imminent.
A month ago, the player hinted that he would go on strike unless the Cottagers allowed him to move (Sky Sports, h/t One Football), and at that point it looked as though the club were going to dig their heels in and make him respect his contract.
Clearly, however, they are not interested in having a disruptive player in their dressing room, so the expectation would appear to be that a deal will be struck soon.