It’s looking increasingly likely that the Saudi Pro League is about to finally get its craved for superstar during the current transfer window, with reports coming out of the kingdom that the Brazilian superstar Neymar is about to sign for 18-time winners of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Hilal.
Of course we’ve been here before, with names from Messi to Mbappe touted as the next icon to join the league, but this one looks like it has legs. Sports journalist and football transfer expert Ben Jacobs revealed confidence of a done deal on his X account last night, stating: “Neymar to Al-Hilal is getting really close to the point where the Saudi club are now planning for his medical.”
Esquire Middle East met with the currently kingdom-based Jacobs to discuss the details of the potential deal, as well as the future of the Saudi Pro League.
Neymar to Al-Hilal is looking likely
“The club, Ministry of Sport and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) are confident that a deal could be completed this week. The club is confident enough that they’ve already scheduled a medical and even put the logistics of his arrival in place. Of course they did that with Lionel Messi, too—even keeping a private jet on standby to whisk him away to the kingdom—but that ultimately didn’t happen, with the Argentine choosing the US and Inter Miami instead. However, barring any late twists, Neymar should be moving to Saudi Arabia.”
Al-Hilal finally get their superstar
“What’s interesting is that Al-Hilal were originally in pole position to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, allegedly having a $266.5m deal in place until they were thwarted by a transfer ban. As the Portuguese star ultimately moved to Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr, the most successful team in the history of the Saudi Pro League has been looking for an elite name to compete.
“After Ronaldo they went for Messi. When that fell through, Neymar. This is actually a transfer approach that dates back to June, when a Saudi delegation flew to Paris in order to secure the Brazilian’s signature. At the time Neymar wasn’t particularly sold on the idea, preferring to stay in Europe and also see how things panned out at PSG with new coach Luis Enrique.
“Flash forward to August and it’s now clear that his hoped for move to Barcelona is not going be feasible either—perhaps Barca could afford the player finances, but the Brazilian is contracted to PSG until 2027, so a transfer fee would be a minimum of $65.6m, and that’s out of the club’s remit.
“After missing out on both Ronaldo and Messi it has been an urgent priority for Al-Hilal to bring in an elite name—from both a football and commercial point of view—now it looks like they’ve succeeded, and they can bill Ronaldo vs. Neymar as the Battle of Riyadh.”
Al-Hilal will make Neymar one of the biggest earners in world football
“Like, even more than he already is. The finances are understandably eye-watering. Even the transfer fee, I think you’ll find that it eventually approaches $87.5-98.5m, which tells you that the Saudi strategy is to go in and simply blow the competition out of the water.
“Neymar will earn a total package not dissimilar to Cristiano Ronaldo’s $218.9m per year. That comes in at around $109.4m for the basic football package, then through other opportunities he can double his income. This is something that no European club—especially Barcelona at the moment—would be able to compete with.”
What next for the Saudi Pro League revolution?
“The strategy is very clear right now. Populate the SPL with close to 50 top players in this window and progress from there. While the focus is on the four PIF-owned clubs right now (Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad), over time I think we’ll see wider foreign recruitment from all clubs in Saudi Arabia. I would keep an eye on the likes of Al-Shabab, another big club and owned by Saudi oil giant Aramco. There’s Al-Ettifaq where Steven Gerrard is now head coach, but even if you drop down a division to Al-Qadsiah where another Liverpool legend, Robbie Fowler, is managing and who are also owned by Aramco. Maybe in a few years you’ll see the PIF-owned clubs go head-to-head with those owned by Aramco?”
So we can expect more superstar signings in Saudi?
“I’m told that between now and 2030 there is $21.5bn allocated to spend on the Saudi Pro League, so this window really shouldn’t be seen as a flash in the pan. The project is here for multiple years, and the growth, spending and recruitment is not going to slow down anytime soon. Neymar along with Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and others will play a big part in helping with that. If they enjoy the Saudi experience they become a positive case study for other players to follow.
“As for Neymar, well a deal would be a clear indication that the league strategy has been able to work. Of course, there’s a huge financial lure for players, but the fact that Neymar wasn’t initially keen on going to Saudi, but has now appeared to have had a change of heart. The money hasn’t changed between the first approach and now, so it’s probably also an indication that he’s seen enough in the last few months to suggest that the league is also moving in the right direction.”