That tactic has proven successful; in December 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr, setting off a series of events that resulted in the loss of some of Europe’s best players. Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante shortly followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia, who signed with Al-Ittihad.
The Saudi PIF, which owns Al-Nassr, Al Ahli, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Hilal, has also spent a lot of money on transfer fees, but Ronaldo, Benzema, and Kante all came to Saudi Arabia on free transfers and were rewarded with huge salaries.
Then, after they paid €90 million to get Neymar from PSG, he joined them in Saudi Arabia when he signed a two-year contract with Al-Hilal. Neymar ended up being the most costly Saudi Pro League acquisition ever in the process.
Fabinho, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Ruben Neves, among others, departed the Premier League for the wealth of Saudi Arabia, and they probably won’t be the last to relocate from Europe to the Middle East.
No players made it into the top ten most costly Saudi transfers list during the slow winter transfer window of January 2024.
However, there were a lot more significant moves in the summer of 2024, including the high-profile moves of Moussa Diaby, Mohamed Simakan, Ivan Toney, Marcos Leonardo, Joao Cancelo, Angelo, and Steven Bergwijn.
Also Read: Confirmed: Argentina will play in India between Oct and Nov 2025
SportsBigNews takes you through the 10 most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers of all time.
The 10 most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers of all time
Player | Clubs | Fee | Year |
---|---|---|---|
1. Neymar | PSG to Al-Hilal | €90m | 2023 |
2. Jhon Duran | Aston Villa to Al-Nassr | €77m | 2025 |
3. Moussa Diaby | Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad | €60m | 2024 |
4. Otavio | Porto to Al-Nassr | €60m | 2023 |
5. Malcom | Zenit to Al-Hilal | €60m | 2023 |
6. Ruben Neves | Wolves to Al-Hilal | €55m | 2023 |
7. Aleksandar Mitrovic | Fulham to Al-Hilal | €52.5m | 2023 |
8. Galeno | FC Porto to Al-Ahli | €50m | 2025 |
9. Fabinho | Liverpool to Al-Ittihad | €46.7m | 2023 |
10. Mohamed Simakan | Leipzig to Al Nassr | €40m | 2024 |