€953m in transfer fees
Although Al-Ittihad ultimately failed in their record bid to sign Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, the transfer window was truly historic for the Saudi Pro League. The Athletic reported on Sep. 7, which was the deadline day for clubs based in Saudi Arabia, that Al-Ittihad had made a verbal proposal worth up to €175m for Liverpool’s Egyptian star. That deal would have pushed this summer’s expenditures for SPL clubs past the €1bn mark.
But even without signing Salah, the Saudi Pro League ranks second with €953m in transfer fees paid for 287 players. Only the Premier League (€2.8 billion) spent more money than the Saudi Pro League, which ranks ahead of Ligue 1 (€899m), Serie A (€854m), the Bundesliga (€748m) and LaLiga (€440m). The Saudi Pro League also had the second largest deficit (-€891m) behind the Premier League (-€1.2bn).
Four Saudi Pro League clubs were also among the biggest spenders in the summer transfer window (overview). Al-Hilal was second with €353m paid for 16 new players. Al-Ahli was eighth with €197m paid for in transfer fees for 20 players and Al-Nassr ranked tenth with €165m spent on transfer fees for 15 players. Finally, there is Al-Ittihad, which ranks 18th after spending €119m on 22 players this summer.
Most expensive squads in the world: These clubs paid the most in transfer fees
Dortmund | Squad value: €467m | Transfer fees paid: €310m
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Difference: +€157m | Last updated: 12. September 2023
AS Monaco | Squad value: €332m | Transfer fees paid: €325m
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Difference: +€7m
Barcelona | Squad value: €814m | Transfer fees paid: €327m
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Difference: +€487m
RB Leipzig | Squad value: €403m | Transfer fees paid: €336m
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Difference: +€67m
Atlético Madrid | Squad value: €442m | Transfer fees paid: €361m
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Difference: +€81m
Al-Hilal | Squad value: €259m | Transfer fees paid: €372m
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Difference: -€113m
SSC Napoli | Squad value: €578m | Transfer fees paid: €373m
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Difference: +€205m
Aston Villa | Squad value: €598m | Transfer fees paid: €418m
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Difference: +€180m
Juventus | Squad value: €433m | Transfer fees paid: €429m
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Difference: +€4m
Bayern Munich | Squad value: €897m | Transfer fees paid: €430m
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Difference: +€467m
West Ham | Squad value: €443m | Transfer fees paid: €457m
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Difference: -€14m
Newcastle United | Squad value: €598m | Transfer fees paid: €566m
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Difference: +€32m
Real Madrid | Squad value: €991m | Transfer fees paid: €573m
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Difference: +€418m
Tottenham | Squad value: €689m | Transfer fees paid: €656m
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Difference: +€33m
Liverpool | Squad value: €827m | Transfer fees paid: €664m
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Difference: +€164m
Arsenal | Squad value: €1.09bn | Transfer fees paid: €685m
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Difference: +€406m
PSG | Squad value: €1.08bn | Transfer fees paid: €943m
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Difference: +€140m
Man City | Squad value: €1.18bn | Transfer fees paid: €992m
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Difference: +€190m
Man United | Squad value: €882m | Transfer fees paid: €1bn
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Difference: -€118m
Chelsea | Squad value: €926m | Transfer fees paid: €1.01bn
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Difference: -€86m
Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo & Co.: Does the Saudi Pro League endanger FFP?
One of those signings was Brazilian superstar Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain. Al-Hilal paid €90m to sign the 31-year-old, making Neymar the seventh most expensive signing of the summer transfer window. Other notable signings included Neymar’s Brazilian teammate Malcom for €60m from Zenit to Al-Hilal, Sadio Mané for €30m from Bayern to Al-Nassr, Fabinho for €46.7m from Liverpool to Al-Ittihad, and Jordan Henderson for €14m from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq—just to name a few.
But it wasn’t just older stars that headed to the Saudi Pro League. Highly talented Gabri Veiga left Celta Vigo in a deal worth €40m to join Al-Ahli. Only 21, Al-Ahli beat out Napoli to land the highly talented Spaniard. In fact, several players below their 30s opted to leave Europe to play on the Arabian Peninsula. The number one reason is the financial opportunities that go beyond the transfer fee. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer that will earn him a reported salary of €200m per year. Fabrizio Romano reported that Karim Benzema will earn €200m a season after joining Al-Ittihad on a free deal from Real Madrid. Finally, sources have suggested that Mané doubled his Bayern salary after he joined Al-Nassr to around €40m.
Neymar, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo: The Most Valuable Players in the Saudi Pro League
29. Jordan Henderson – Market Value: €10M
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Clube: Al-Ettifaq
28. Edouard Mendy – Market Value: €12M
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Club: Al-Ahli
27. Juanmi – Market Value: €12M
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Club: Al-Riyadh
26. Moussa Dembélé – Market Value: €12M
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Club: Al-Ettifaq FC
25. Bono – Market Value: €12M
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Club: Al-Hilal
24. Jota – Market Value: €13M
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Club: Al-Ittihad
23. Cristiano Ronaldo – Market Value: €15M
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Club: Al-Nassr
22. Kalidou Koulibaly – Market Value: €15M
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Club: Al-Hilal
21. N’Golo Kanté – Market Value: €15M
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Club: Al-Ittihad
20. Talisca – Market Value: €15M
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Club: Al-Nassr
19. Habib Diallo – Market Value: €18M
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Club: Al-Shabab
18. Roberto Firmino – Market Value: €18M
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Club: Al-Ahli
17. Riyad Mahrez – Market Value: €20M
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Club: Al-Ahli
16. Merih Demiral – Market Value: €20M
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Club: Al-Ahli
15. Karim Benzema – Market Value: €25M
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Club: Al-Ittihad
14. Sadio Mané – Market Value: €25M
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Club: Al-Nassr
13, Marcelo Brozovic – Market Value: 25M
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Club: Al-Nassr
12. Aymeric Laporte – Market Value: €25M
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Club: Al-Nassr
11. Franck Kessié – Market Value: €25M
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Club: Al-Ahli
10. Aleksandar Mitrović – Market Value: €30M
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Club: Al-Hilal
9. Malcom – Market Value: €30M
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Club: Al-Hilal
8. Roger Ibañez – Market Value: €30M
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Club: Al-Ahli
7. Seko Fofana – Market Value: €32M
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Club: Al-Nassr
6. Alan Saint-Maximin – Market Value: €32M
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Club: Al-Ahli
5. Otávio – Market Value: €32M
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Club: Al-Nassr
4. Rúben Neves – Market Value: €40M
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Club: Al-Hilal
3. Fabinho – Market Value: €42M
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Club: Ittihad Club
2. Sergej Milinković-Savić – Market Value: €50M
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Club: Al-Hilal
1. Neymar – Market Value: €60M
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Club: Al-Hilal
While there has been some concern that some European clubs have used high transfer fees received by SPL clubs to circumnavigate FFP rules, it is those staggering salaries that have some leagues worried. One source has told Transfermarkt that leagues like the Bundesliga and LaLiga are worried that clubs with rich owners could put pressure on newly created FFP rules to compete with the high salaries paid by Saudi clubs. With that in mind, European leagues are monitoring the development, but decision-makers have pointed out that it remains to be seen whether Saudi Pro League will be sustainable or a flash in the pan, like the Chinese Super League a few years ago.
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