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| Karim Benzema transferring to the Saudi Pro League. Photo: Ettifaq. |
There is no denying the Saudi Pro League has taken over the transfer window this summer with some jaw-dropping moves. Once fancied as a destination for those in the latter years of their career looking for a final payday, that has all changed.
Of course, the players of yesteryear are still being picked up along the way, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly. But there has been an active move from Saudi top clubs to sign players in their prime - and they are succeeding. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is the latest to move to the Gulf State, joining Al Hilal from Lazio despite long being linked with top European clubs such as Manchester United and Juventus. Marcelo Brozovic, who Liverpool have tracked for years, has signed for Al Nassr to play with Cristiano Ronaldo while Ruben Neves, at 26, has moved to Al Hilal.
Such transfers have seen the value of the Saudi Pro League skyrocket in a short space of time, shooting up to £435million, according to Transfermarkt - jumping an incredible £156m in a month from £279m. That means it is ranked above the Scottish Premiership (£267m) and the Austrian Football Bundesliga where Red Bull Salzburg reside. Standing in its way is Belgium's Jupiler Pro League, which is valued at just under £700m.
Unsurprisingly England's Premier League leads the way with a value of £8.65billion - more than double that of second-placed La Liga, which has a value of just over £4bn.
