In what has grown into one of the biggest talking-points in football this summer, some of the world's most high-profile players and coaches have flooded to join clubs in the Saudi Pro League.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) recently took over four of the country's top sides - Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli - prompting an extensive recruitment drive from each of these clubs to attract some of the biggest names in the sport such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema with lucrative contracts.
The other 14 top-flight clubs which make up the Saudi Pro League are also stepping up their efforts to enhance their squads with stars from Europe, with the new league season set to get underway on 11th August 2023.
Let's take a look at all of the recent transfers made by each of the 18 Saudi Pro League clubs, as well as the other well-known figures within their ranks.
Abha
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Czeslaw Michniewicz (Manager) - Former Poland national team and Legia Warsaw manager.
- Felipe Caicedo - Former Ecuador, Lazio and Manchester City striker.
Al-Ahli
Major summer transfers:
- Riyad Mahrez (Man City - £30m)
- Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle Utd - £23m)
- Edouard Mendy (Chelsea - £16m)
- Franck Kessie (Barcelona - £10.8m)
- Roberto Firmino (Liverpool - Free)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Ezgjan Alioski - Current North Macedonia international and former Leeds United left-back/ left winger.
- Modou Barrow - Former Swansea City and Reading forward.
- Riyad Boudebouz - Former Real Betis and Algeria midfielder.
Al-Ettifaq
Major summer transfers:
- Steven Gerrard (Manager)
- Jordan Henderson (Liverpool - £12m)
- Jack Hendry (Club Brugge - £6.5m)
- Moussa Dembele (Lyon - Free)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Robin Quaison - Current Sweden international striker, formerly of Mainz and Palermo.
- Vitinho - Former Brazil youth international midfielder, ex-Flamengo and CSKA Moscow.
Al-Fateh
Major summer transfers:
- Jason Denayer (Al-Shabab - Free)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Slaven Bilic (Manager)
- Cristian Tello - Ex-Spain international winger, formerly of Barcelona and Real Betis.
Al-Fayha
Major summer transfers:
- Fashion Sakala (Rangers - £4m)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Vladimir Stojkovic - Former Serbia, Nottingham Forest and Wigan goalkeeper.
- Aleksandar Trajkovski - Current North Macedonia international forward, ex-Palermo.
Al-Hazem
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
None
Al-Hilal
Major summer transfers:
- Jorge Jesus (Manager - Fenerbahce)
- Neymar Jr (PSG - £76.9m)
- Malcom (Zenit - £51.5m)
- Ruben Neves (Wolves - £47m)
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio - £34m)
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea - £17m)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Matheus Pereira - Former West Brom midfielder.
- Moussa Marega - Current Mali international striker, ex-Porto.
- Andre Carrillo - Current Peru international winger, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and Watford.
Al-Ittihad
Major summer transfers:
- Fabinho (Liverpool - £40m)
- Filipe Jota (Celtic - £25m)
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid - Free)
- N'Golo Kante (Chelsea - Free)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Nuno Espirito Santo (Manager) - Former Valencia, Porto, Wolves and Tottenham manager.
- Ahmed Hegazi - Current Egypt international defender, formerly of West Brom.
Al-Nassr
Major summer transfers:
- Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich - £24m)
- Seko Fofana (Lens - £21.5m)
- Marcelo Brozovic (Inter - £15.5m)
- Alex Telles (Man Utd - £6m)
Other notable players/coaches:
- Cristiano Ronaldo - Current Portugal international forward, ex-Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United.
- David Ospina - Current Colombia international goalkeeper, ex-Napoli, Arsenal and Nice.
- Talisca - Ex-Guangzou Evergrande, Beskitas and Benfica attacking midfielder.
- Pity Martinez - Former Argentina and River Plate attacking midfielder.
More Transfer News
Al-Okhdood
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
None
Al-Raed
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Igor Jovicevic (Manager) - Ex-Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb manager.
Al-Riyadh
Major summer transfers:
- Yannick Ferrera (Manager - Omonia)
Other notable players/coaches:
None
Al-Shabab
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Ever Banega - Ex-Argentina, Sevilla, Inter and Valencia midfielder.
- Gustavo Cuellar - Current Colombia international midfielder, ex-Flamengo.
- Kim Seung-gyu - Current South Korea international goalkeeper.
Al-Taawoun
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Alvaro Medran - Ex-Chicago Fire, Valencia and Real Madrid midfielder.
Al-Tai
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Alfa Semedo - Ex-Reading and Nottingham Forest midfielder.
Al-Wehda
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Georgios Donis (Manager) - Ex-Sheffield United, Blackburn and Greece midfielder.
- Oscar Duarte - Current Costa Rica international defender, ex-Levante, Espanyol and Club Brugge.
- Faycal Fajr - Morocco international midfielder.
- Munir - Morocco international goalkeeper.
Damac
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
- Cosmin Contra (Manager) - Ex-Romania international player and manager.
- Adam Maher - Former Netherlands, Utrecht, PSV and AZ midfielder.
Khaleej
Major summer transfers:
None
Other notable players/coaches:
None
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07 Aug 23
