Saudi dealmakers are unperturbed by the winter exit of Jordan Henderson to Ajax and don’t feel his departure is damaging to the long-term project.
There is a planned league-wide spend of around £2bn for this summer, inclusive of transfer fees, wages and agent costs.
Saudi clubs spent £750m on transfer fees last summer and this number is likely to be surpassed if certain star names are secured.
The two most high-profile targets are Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
De Bruyne’s camp have already been approached with both Riyadh-based clubs, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, expressing an interest. De Bruyne is contracted until 2025 and Manchester City would expect a fee of over £100m should they entertain an offer. It is still understood Pep Guardiola wants De Bruyne to extend.
Salah was the subject of a £150m bid from Saudi champions Al-Ittihad last summer with a view to signing him in time for last December’s Club World Cup. He remains a target, but Salah is settled at Liverpool so a move is by no means guaranteed this summer. The feeling is Salah will eventually go to Saudi, but summer 2024 isn’t a given.
It is likely Al-Hilal will try this summer, though, having had Salah on their wishlist last summer as well. They are on course to win the Saudi Pro League and are expected to be given priority ahead of Al-Ittihad.
Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara is another name several Saudi clubs are actively pursuing with a view to persuading him to sign a pre-contract. Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq are one of the interested teams.
It’s also understood an approach will be made to Tottenham captain Son Heung-min, who was always on a list of options for 2024. Son firmly downplayed any Saudi move last summer, as did Saudi dealmakers. He would be a very tough target to secure but the same was said of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, both of whom ended up eventually accepting a move despite initial low confidence from dealmakers.
Napoli’s Victor Osimhen turned down three big proposals last summer, but admitted he was “tempted” by a Saudi switch. Should he leave Napoli this summer, the Premier League remains a more likely destination, but that may not stop Saudi trying again. Al-Hilal still hold an interest but would prioritise spending their budget on Salah should he become available. Al-Ahli are also keen on the Nigerian striker.
Non-PIF controlled clubs are also looking at Leicester City’s Wilfried Ndidi, with Al-Fateh and Al-Qadsiah both worth watching. The latter are not yet in the Saudi Pro League but on course for promotion. They are owned by Aramco and not reliant on Ministry of Sport funding.
A new rule change for 2024/25, as first revealed last year, will allow for 10 foreign players instead of eight next season, but two must be born in 2003 or after. This will result in a focus on younger signings.
Although there is a desire to buy, loans aren’t being ruled out to create more of a connection, and an ongoing relationship, with clubs from Europe’s big-five leagues. From the 10 foreign players registered next season, only eight will be able to participate on any given matchday in the league.
Lorient’s Eli Junior Kroupi is one target, and more broadly the French market is thought to be important within Saudi’s recruitment strategy.
Dortmund’s Almugera Kabar, Sampdoria’s Facundo Gonzalez (on-loan from Juventus) and Liverpool’s Ben Doak, who is currently injured, are all under consideration. As Saudi’s football infrastructure grows, and facilities are further invested in, clubs may view the Saudi Pro League as a useful destination to get young players minutes.
Henderson’s departure to Ajax is not seen as something that will slow the Saudi project down, and it was telling on the same day that he officially departed, Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard was handed a new contract. This was clearly done intentionally as part of a PR drive to show top names want to stay.
Al-Ettifaq is a developing club with big ambitions, and have recently opened a brand new stadium, but there is an acceptance that 2-3 more windows are needed before their project really starts to pay off. That’s why Gerrard is being given time and a new deal despite having not won since October.
Saudi sources point out clubs are being developed over multiple seasons so it’s unfair to judge the project immediately since the infrastructure will take some time to catch up with the ambition. They also don’t expect a mass exodus, pointing out the likes of Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Riyadh Mahrez and Gabri Veiga are happy in the Kingdom. And summer will see another big push for talent, both young and old, with no signs of spending slowing down.