Could the world’s best midfielder be heading to Saudi Arabia?
Kevin De Bruyne has opened the door to a possible move to Saudi Arabia. On Thursday (Aug. 4), Fabrizio Romano, one of the top authorities on the European transfer market, published an interview with the midfielder on his social media. In a recent interview with Belgium’s HLN, Der Bruyne said, “I have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what will happen. At my age, you have to be open to everything. People are talking about a lot of money that could end my career. Sometimes you have to think about that,” he said. “If I play for Saudi Arabia for two years, I could make a lot of money, but maybe I played football for 15 years before that and haven’t reached that amount yet. Then you have to think about what it means. But I don’t have to think about it yet because I have a year left.”
De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world.
After spells at Chelsea, Wolfsburg, and now Man City, De Bruyne has reached the peak of his powers. His fantastic vision and right-footed kicking ability helped him lead City to their glory days. This season, after a lengthy absence due to injury, De Bruyne has led the team’s rise since his return, helping City win their fourth straight league title. In 26 appearances across all competitions, he has scored six goals and provided 18 assists.
De Bruyne’s contract with City expires next summer. For City, it’s their last chance to cash in on his transfer. For him, the time is right for a new challenge. There’s a lot of money in the US and Saudi Arabia to tempt him. It’s not an immediate departure, of course, 안전놀이터 추천 but with the player himself talking about a move to Saudi Arabia, there’s a strange undercurrent building.
Last summer, the Saudis were the stars of the show.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad, followed by N’Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), and Sadio Mane (Al Nasr). It wasn’t just veterans. Stars in their 20s who are in the prime of their careers, such as Ruben Neves and Sergei Milinkovic-Savic (both Al Hilal), have also chosen the Kingdom. Legends such as Steven Gerrard chose the kingdom as a manager. The pinnacle was Neymar. One of the world’s biggest stars left Paris Saint-Germain to play for Al-Hilal.
As a result, the Saudis have spent around €600 million ($874.7 million) on player transfers this summer. That’s more than the Spanish league among Europe’s top five leagues. Primera Liga spent around €337 million ($491.3 million) this summer, while the Saudi league spent nearly twice that amount. The EPL, the world’s top league, has spent around €2.05 billion ($2.988 billion), Italy’s Serie A has spent €700 million ($1.205 billion), Germany’s Bundesliga has spent €648.2 million ($944.7 million), and France’s Ligue 1 has spent €630 million ($918.4 million). The Saudi league has now surpassed the Italian, German, and French leagues.
The salaries are even more staggering.
Eight of the world’s top 10 highest paid players are currently in the Saudi league. Ronaldo and Benzema top the list with 292 billion won each, followed by Neymar (219 billion won) and Kante (146.1 billion won). Only the fifth and sixth spots are from other leagues. PSG’s Mbappe is fifth on the list with 110.9 billion won. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), who moved to the United States, is sixth with 66.2 billion won. Numbers 7-10 are again Saudi. Mane (57.9 billion won), Henderson (57.9 billion won – Al-Ettifaq), Mahrez (50.9 billion won), and Kalidou Koulibaly (44.1 billion won – Al-Hilal) are all from the Saudi league.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola said Saudi money has “changed the transfer market” and that elite clubs “need to know what’s happening now”. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has expressed concern that the SPL’s transfer window closes later than European leagues. Englishman Peter Hutton, a senior executive in the Saudi Super League, told the BBC: “The SPL has a budget for a few more years. I don’t see them stopping investing,” he said. “I’ve been working in sports for 40 years, and I’ve never seen a project this big and ambitious,” he said, adding, “The Saudi league has 50 years of tradition. It has fans. At the government level, we are creating a roadmap to interconnect academies, men’s and women’s soccer, and associations. It’s not a new start, it’s an upgrade,” he said, noting that it will not be like the Chinese Super League’s plummeting fortunes.
In fact, the Saudis were even more ambitious.
On May 9, Messi’s potential move to Al-Hilal was sparked when AFP reported that he had signed a blockbuster deal with the Saudi club. However, a statement from Messi’s father soon followed, saying, “We have absolutely no contract with any club for next year. 카지노사이트 추천 There have always been rumors and many people have used Lionel’s name to gain notoriety, but there is only one truth.” The rumors seemed to die down. But he wasn’t giving up. Al-Hilal offered Messi a ridiculous deal. A salary of 400 million euros, or about $560 million. Twice as much as Ronaldo. But it didn’t work out.
He also tried to sign Mbappe.
Al-Hilal made a huge offer for Mbappe, who had an uneasy relationship with PSG. Al-Hilal offered PSG a whopping €300 million for Mbappe. “PSG have received a €300 million offer from Al-Hilal for Mbappe,” The Athletic reported, “PSG have given Al-Hilal permission to hold talks with Mbappe. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also tweeted: ‘Al Hilal have made a formal offer to PSG to start talks to sign Mbappe. The transfer fee is a record-breaking €300 million.
Al Hilal’s offer for Mbappe was shocking, to say the least. Mateo Moreto, a journalist for Spain’s Relevo, reported on social media that Al Hilal had offered Mbappe a salary of 700 million euros (about 99.5 billion won) a year. This translates to a weekly salary of €13.4 million. Al-Hilal reportedly offered €200 million in pure salary, with €700 million guaranteed through commercial bonuses and endorsement deals. That’s more than double the €400 million salary Al-Hilal had offered Messi. Al-Hilal reportedly even told Mbappe that he could leave after just one year. However, Mbappe refused and the deal fell through.
The best player in Asia, Son Heung-min, was also a candidate. In June of last year, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad showed interest in Son Heung-min. The transfer fee alone was $65 million. The salary was also huge. It was music to the ears of Son, who was nearing the end of his career. But he refused. “If I wanted to go to Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t be here now (laughs). I love soccer, and money is important, but I dream of playing in the Premier League,” he said. ”In the past, my brother (Ki Sung-yong) also said that Korean captains don’t go to China. Money is not important to me now,” he said, dismissing the Saudi trip.
The Saudis are reportedly still interested in Son Heung-min.
The kingdom, which is bidding to host the 2030 World Cup, has been focusing on “growing soccer,” having recently won the right to host the 2023 Club World Cup after the 2027 Asian Cup. The kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund (PIF) bought English Premier League club Newcastle United and has a star-studded roster. Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, often referred to as “Mr. Everything,” is eager to boost the kingdom’s international standing through sports.
While some have criticized the move as “sportswashing” to wash away the image of a human rights abuser, it’s hard to argue with Saudi Arabia’s astronomical oil money. The PIF, 메이저사이트 which is headed by Crown Prince Salman, already holds a 75% stake in Al Nasr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli, giving it direct influence over player signings. It has the money to invest more, and has already done so.
Some say it hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, but the Saudis aren’t going to stop investing. The Brynner could be the start of that.