Saudi Pro League moves planned for Manchester United trio, Manchester City midfield ace and Tottenham striker

The 2023 summer transfer window saw an unprecedented level of spending in the Middle East as Saudi Pro League clubs were able to entice the likes of Neymar, Roberto Firmino, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Allan Saint-Maximin and a host of other star-studded names from across the globe.

They also made huge headlines throughout the last few days of the window as they made bold approaches for French superstar Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool fan-favourite Mohamed Salah.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), who are in the corner of Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli are determined to establish the Pro League as one of the strongest and most competitive leagues in world football and it is anticipated that they will once again have plenty to spend this summer. With that in mind we take a look at nine of the most high-profile Premier League stars that have been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer.

Raphael Varane

France 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane has decided to leave Old Trafford after a three-season stint which saw him lift the League Cup and FA Cup. He is considered to be a top target for Al Ittihad and Al Nassr, according to reports from 90min.com.

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is the subject of interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona after his side’s failure to secure Champions League football.

Although he is regarded as an important part of the plan at Manchester United there are reports from TNT Sport which claim a number of top Saudi clubs could try and entice the Red Devils with a lucrative bid for the 29-year-old.

Casemiro

Earlier this week, it was reported that Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing to try and convince his former Manchester United and Real Madrid teammate Casemiro to join him at Al-Nassr.

The Brazilian signed for Manchester United in the summer of 2022 and was instrumental in his first season, but performances dipped last term and vocal critics including Jamie Carragher have claimed that his time is up at the elite level.

Richarlison

The Saudi Pro League has already enticed a number of hot Brazilian talents including the world’s most expensive footballer Neymar.

The latest big name, according to 90min.com, could be Ricarlison, with Ange Postecoglou recently warning Tottenham fans that they can expect wholescale changes this year.

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne is regarded as one of the Premier League’s all-time greatest midfielders and he is known to still be very settled at Manchester City after a record-breaking fourth title defence.

However, the Belgian did tell the Guardian that he would consider eventually signing for a Saudi club one day due to the incredible amount of money he could earn.

“At my age you have to be open to everything,” he said. “You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that. If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”

The 32-year-old is currently in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and could link up with former teammates Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez in the Middle East.