Saudi Arabia is planning to spend big next summer on world-class signings. This includes South Korea’s “captain” Son Heung-min, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, and Luka Modric.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to invest heavily in soccer began to revolutionize the game. It started with Cristiano Ronaldo. In January 2023, Ronaldo left Manchester United to move to Saudi Arabia. At the time, few European players were going to Saudi Arabia, 안전카지노사이트 so his move was quite unconventional.
There was some ridicule. Some criticized Ronaldo for following the “money” because he had lost his competitive edge in Europe as he grew older.
But that was just the beginning. Ronaldo paved the way. Many players followed suit. Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Aymeric Laporte, N’Golo Kante, and last summer, Neymar, who boasted of his ‘best friend chemistry’ with Lee Kang-in, all headed to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis now have as many ‘superstars’ as any European league. And they’re not stopping there. This summer, the Saudis are planning a big signing with a huge investment.
The targets are already set. As transfer market expert Rudi Galletti wrote on his social media account on Friday, “Saudi negotiators have more or less finalized their priority targets for the next transfer window. De Bruyne, Salah, Son, Heung-min Son and Modric are believed to be the main targets and they will try to make contact in the coming weeks.”
These are some of the leading players in European soccer right now. De Bruyne has established himself as the best playmaker in Europe beyond Manchester City, while Salah is the best in the world in his position. Modric is at an age where he shouldn’t be retiring, but he’s still got plenty of quality, and Son Heung-min has developed into one of the Premier League’s leading strikers.
Of course, there are no guarantees. Son is contracted to Tottenham until June 2025, but has recently been in talks to extend his contract, while De Bruyne and Salah are also expected to discuss renewals with their respective clubs. Modric is expected to leave Real Madrid. He’s the most likely of the four, but it’s unclear if he’ll end his European career.