Saudi Arabia plot bizarre Premier League transfers

James Shearman

• Updated: 28 Sept 2023 22:12 BST
• 3 min read

The Saudi Pro League are now looking to sign the best referees in the world, as well as the best players.

Saudi Arabia made the headlines on numerous occasions in the summer transfer window as they brought in high-profile stars such as Neymar, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante.

However, the league's standard of officiating is poor, with former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg previously stating that his Saudi Arabian counterparts 'failed the basic standards and understanding of the laws of the game'.

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According to the Times, they are attempting to rectify this issue by poaching the Premier League's best in the near future.

English referee Michael Oliver already took charge of a Saudi Pro League game - Al-Hilal vs Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr - in April, but the Saudis are now looking for permanent moves.

And, just like the players, referees could be tempted by the lucrative contracts on offer.

Salah to Saudi Arabia?

Another transfer that Saudi Arabia are looking to make is the signing of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

According to journalist Bruno Lemos, Al-Hilal will join Al-Ittihad in the race for the Egyptian attacker and movement is expected from both sides in January.

Al-Ittihad had a huge offer of €175 million rejected by Liverpool in the closing days of the summer transfer window.

And, Lemos is reporting that Salah remains the top target for Al-Ittihad in 2024, who are intent on signing him in either January or the summer.

There have been reports that Al-Ittihad could make a world record transfer offer of around €234m for Salah, although it remains to be seen if they would pay such an amount when Salah is six or 12 months older.