The British transfer window shut last week, putting an end to a summer of audacious spending that saw Premier League clubs alone fork out more than £2.3bn.
Moises Caicedo left Brighton for Chelsea and Declan Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham in deals that eclipsed £100m, while Harry Kane switched Tottenham for Bayern Munich.
And yet, despite the British window closing, the biggest deal of all may be yet to come.
The emergence of the Saudi Pro League as football’s premier financial power has been the story of the summer, and their transfer window remains open.
Al Ittihad have made no secret of their desire to lure Mo Salah from Liverpool, reportedly offering a deal totalling more than £200m for the 31-year-old Egyptian, whom they would be prepared to pay a whopping £2.45m per week.
Liverpool have insisted Salah is not for sale, but even if they hold strong Saudi clubs are likely to make splashes elsewhere before the window closes.
When does Saudi Arabia’s transfer window close?
Saudi Arabia’s transfer window closes on Thursday 7 September at 10pm BST.
Despite the Salah deal looking unlikely, Saudi clubs are expected to make a number of notable signings in the window’s final hours.
Rumours have suggested former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea could join Al Nassr or Al Ittihad. He is currently a free agent after leaving United in the summer.
Another former Premier League keeper, Hugo Lloris, could also sign, with Al Nassr reportedly interested.
Paul Pogba is a name that has been floated, though he is currently under contract at Juventus, while Manchester United midfielder Donny Van de Beek is a more likely option. He has seen little playing time in Manchester and had a move to Lorient fall through last week.
Marco Veratti’s name has popped up – as he is no longer a key part of PSG’s plans – and Eden Hazard, currently a free agent, is another name to potentially keep an eye on.
Who are the biggest Saudi Pro League signings so far?
The biggest signing of the summer was Neymar joining Al Hilal from PSG for £80m. The Brazilian has been joined at Asia’s most successful club – who have 18 Saudi Pro League and four AFC Champions League titles – by the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea, Ruben Neves from Wolves, and Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham.
Al Ittihad signed Karim Benzema at the start of the window and also moved for N’Golo Kante. They’ve paired him with former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, and they also signed Portuguese winger Jota from Celtic for £25m.
Sadio Mane ended his time at Bayern Munich to join Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, who also brought in Marcelo Brozovic from Inter, Alex Telles from Manchester United and Aymeric Laporte from Manchester City.
Riyad Mahrez joined Al Ahli from Manchester City in a £30.4m deal. They also signed former Newcastle forward Allan Saint-Maximin for £23m.
Jordan Henderson‘s move to Al Ettifaq has drawn a lot of criticism due to his previous support for the LGBTQ+ community. He has been joined there by Moussa Dembele and Georginio Wijnaldum.
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