Top five players who rejected offers from Saudi Pro League this summer

Take a look at top footballers who have rejected move to Saudi clubs

The Saudis pulled off their biggest successful manoeuvre in football when they convinced Cristiano Ronaldo to come play in the Saudi Pro League. It was the beginning of a new era and since then, more top players from Europe’s best leagues have followed his footsteps such as Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Neves, Riyad Mahrez to name a few and recently Neymar.

Though players have agreed to play in Saudi Pro League, is it because of the lucrative offers or the amenities that follow up with those offers, we don’t know as it’s a subjective topic-everybody has their own opinion on this. One thing is for sure, large sums of money is sometimes very difficult to say no to.

We can say some of them have joined due to the attractive offers that have been given to them while a few of them signed for Saudi clubs because they are in the twilight of their career.

Even though they have lured away some big names in football, some of them have turned down contracts to play in Europe. Here’s a look at five players who turned down offers from Saudi clubs this summer:

5. Heung-min Son – Al Ittihad

Harry Kane has left Tottenham this summer for Bayern Munich, Son is definitely the key player at the club in the new season. Following Harry Kane’s departure, Son was handed the captain’s band for his loyalty towards the club and the fan base of the club. This summer, he was approached by Al Ittihad, the Saudi Arabian club reportedly offered him a £25 million per year contract to join them.

However, the South Korean did not accept the offer and instantly shut them down, his current contract at Spurs is nowhere near the big money that he turned down. Nevertheless, he has proved that he is playing the beautiful game of football not because of the monetary gains, but because of the passion that he has for the game and the North London club.

4. Luka Modric – Al Hilal

Heading into the summer transfer window this season, there were speculations that he would leave Real Madrid and join some other club. This was taken as an advantage by Al Hilal, they approached the five-time Champions League winner and one of the best midfielders ever with a £170 million offer for three years to play in the Saudi Pro League.

The Croatian wasn’t moved by this offer, which was actually shocking looking at his age and all the trophies that he has won throughout his career, he decided not to join Saudi League and instead extended his contract at Real Madrid hoping to win more trophies this season. This shows the class, mentality and loyalty towards Los Blancos.

Trending World Football Articles:

• Top five most valuable squads in football
• Top 10 players with biggest rating upgrade in EA FC 24
• Ranking the favourites to win Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2023
• Top five favourites to win Serie A 2023-24 based on odds
• Top 10 footballers who were banned for doping

3. Moussa Diaby – Al Nassr

The 24-year-old French winger, secured a move to Aston Villa this summer after spending four seasons in Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen. Diaby had 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season which caught the attention of several clubs across Europe and mainly Premier League clubs who had genuine interest in signing him.

Before he signed for Aston Villa this summer, Al-Nassr gave a stiff competition to Aston Villa. The Saudi club matched the price Aston Villa was offering him and were confident that they’d link him up with Cristiano Ronaldo at the club, Leverkusen agreed to both the deals but Diaby decided to make a move to the Premier League. He has already been influential in the Villa side and has one goal already to this name in the two matches that he has played in this season.

2. Rodrigo de Paul – Al Ahli

The 2022 World Cup winner faced some backlash from Atletico Madrid fans after the World Cup and they wanted him to leave the club, but Atletico’s excellent form in 2023 was because of the consistent performances by him in the midfield, which definitely was a major bonus for Diego Simeone.

Recently he was approached by Al Ahli to strengthen their midfield alongside Franck Kessie who was signed from Barcelona this summer. The Argentine was offered approximately 35 million to play in the Saudi League but he chose to stay at Atletico Madrid and play Champions League for the third consecutive time with the club and try to fight for his place at the club and gain back the confidence of the fans.

1. Raphael Varane – Al Ittihad

The former Real Madrid defender is reportedly ‘content’ at Old Trafford, the news of him signing with the club was a little shocking as a football fan because he has so much left in him to play at the biggest stages and win trophies. He has his contract running till 2025 at the Old Trafford.

Benzema his fellow country teammate and former teammate at Real Madrid and Kante were reportedly looking to convince him to join them and Cristiano Ronaldo in the league but he has turned the offer from Al Ittihad and is looking to continue at Manchester United and maybe win some trophies before leaving the club.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and join our community on Telegram.