Liverpool duo close to Saudi Arabia moves amid €300m world record bid for superstar - full list

The latest players to be linked with a move abroad are Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and Thiago, as the Saudi Arabian revolution continues to grab the headlines.

For Henderson, the rumour of his potential departure is aligned with the news that Steven Gerrard has become the new manager of Al-Ettifaq who seemingly wishes to bring the 33-year-old to the Middle East.

With a huge influx of players from the Premier League and Europe opting to make the switch to the Middle East, Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago would be joining plenty of familiar faces.

Fans have already seen Roberto Firmino depart this summer but they’ll be hoping to keep ahold of two key senior figures during the summer window.

Outside of Liverpool, Al-Hilal have submitted a world record bid for Kylian Mbappe of €300m as it seems the possibilities, and money, are endless in the Middle East.

Here are all the latest deals that have been completed involving the Saudi Arabian league so far, some high-profile rejections and reported interest.

Saudi Arabia Pro League signings

• Karim Benzema - Last year’s Balon d’Or winner shocked the football world by leaving Real Madrid and Europe’s top five leagues to join Al Ittihad. Despite being 35, the Frenchman is still very much at the top of his game. His deal is set to earn him a staggering £6-per-second and a £20m bonus to work as an ambassador for the 2030 World Cup, which Saudi Arabia is bidding to host.
• N’Golo Kante - The Chelsea midfielder has been allowed to leave after running down his current deal and has joined up with Al Ittihad, where he will be reunited with international teammate Benzema. Furthermore, the deal has seen the former Leicester midfielder purchase Belgian club Royal Excelsior Virton as a result of his new mega-deal.
• Edouard Mendy - Winner of the UEFA Men’s Best Goalkeeper Award in 2021, Mendy has left Chelsea after three years to join Al Ahli in a £16m deal. He will be welcoming Firmino to his new club in the near future.
• Kalidou Koulibaly - The centre-back rounds off the trio of Chelsea stars to make the move abroad, leaving the London club after just a single season. The Senegal international has signed a three-year-deal with Al Hilal in a deal worth £17m, with Chelsea cutting their losses after a poor campaign.
• Ruben Neves - Despite only being 26, Neves has opted to leave Europe for the Middle East in a deal worth in excess of £50m. He will join up with Koulibaly at Al Hilal and he is joining Asia’s most successful club on a three-year-deal.
• Roberto Firmino - Released as a free agent by Liverpool this summer, the transfer fee and personal terms are all agreed to join Al-Ahli. The Brazilian is yet to pass his medical but has agreed personal terms on a contract that will run until June 2026.
• Jota - The Celtic forward was tipped for a move to the Premier League after an impressive spell in Scotland, but the 24-year-old has compelted a move to Al-Ittihad.
• Marcelo Brozovic - The World Cup finalist has left Inter Milan for the Saudi League, signing for Al-Nassr FC in a deal worth £18m.
• Sergej Milinković-Savić - Highly-rated in Italy, the all-action midfielder has been targeted by a whole host of top clubs around Europe in recent years, but he shocked everyone by making the move from Lazio, for a fee around £40m.

Saudi Arabia Pro League rejected transfers

• Luka Modric - Real Madrid’s veteran midfielder is still going strong at 37 and his rejection of a £170m contract has shown he wants to continue playing at the top level, for club and country.
• Lionel Messi - Having departed Paris Saint-Germain, the World Cup winner had plenty of offers on the table, including a huge offer to join former adversary Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East. A reported contract offer of £400m per year was turned down in favour of a move to the USA to join Inter Miami.
• Romelu Lukaku - Embroiled in a frivolous transfer debacle with Chelsea and Inter Milan, Lukaku rejected an offer from Al Hilal in favour of remaining in Italy. However, he remains a Chelsea player for the time being at least.
• Jamie Vardy - In one of the more outlandish reports, Vardy is set to compete in the Championship next season following his relegation with Leicester City. However, even with 12 months left on his current deal, he wasn’t interested in a move to Al Khaleej.
• Bruno Fernandes - The latest reports have claimed the Manchester United attacker has turned down not one, not two, but three approaches from Saudi clubs to remain in the Premier League.

Saudi Arabia Pro League Premier League rumoured transfers

• Fabinho - The defensive midfielder has been the subject of a £40m bid from Al-Ittihad and has been left out of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Germany as a result. This move could be completed very soon in what would be a shock deal given he is still only 29.
• Jordan Henderson - Henderson is being targeted by Steven Gerrard‘s Al-Ettifaq and the latest news is that the midfielder has been left out of their first pre-season matchday squad against Karlsruher SC suggesting that a move could be completed and he is currently still in talks.
• Riyad Mahrez - The 32-year-old looks set to move after Al Ahli submitted a €35m bid which was agreed. A medical is set to be completed this week and he will sign on a three-year-deal.
• Sadio Mane - Mane left Liverpool last summer to join Bayern Munich, but experienced a difficult season, as he failed to reach the heights we saw during his days on Merseyside. Now, it’s reported that Al-Nassr have agreed a deal with the player, as Bayern are looking to part ways with the player after just a single season.
• Kylian Mbappe - Regarded as the best player in the world, the Frenchman has fallen out with Paris Saint-Germain once again, with the club looking to part ways with the forward as he has no plans on extending his contract, which runs out next summer. Al-Hilal have submitted a world record fee of €300m - but no personal terms have been discussed as of yet.