Money power tempts Salah-De Bruyne, but only Arsenal are quiet

Will last summer’s exodus of stars to Saudi Arabia be repeated?

Major media outlets such as the Daily Mail, a popular British newspaper, have focused on the outflow of players from Manchester City and Liverpool in anticipation of the summer transfer market ahead of the end of the season.

Al Nasr, Al Hilal, and Al Ittihad, which are owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (PIF), have been busy signing players from the winter transfer market since January last year, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and others.

They’re paid huge salaries and live in luxurious mansions and other ultra-premium living conditions. They have to play in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) rather than the UEFA Champions League (UCL), but that doesn’t matter as long as they get results.

While the major European clubs are worried about losing their top players, Saudi Arabia is looking to strengthen its domestic soccer league to gain a foothold in Asian hegemony and boost its confidence in its ability to influence world soccer with the power of oil money.

Immediate summer transfer targets include Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker (Liverpool) and Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson (Manchester City).

Salah has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia since last year. Al Ittihad are the favorites. Coincidentally, Jürgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool has sparked speculation of a squad overhaul. Under Klopp, Salah was the center of the attack. The repercussions have been huge, with central defender Firmino van Dijk saying that he would likely leave the club if Klopp is gone.

The Egyptian-born player has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia as they share the same Islamic culture. If Salah were to leave, it would be a big problem for Liverpool. While other strikers would be able to fill the void, it would be difficult to find a player of Salah”s caliber in the immediate future.

Add to that, the goalkeeper Becker. The Reds are determined not to let go of Becker, but it”s a different story for a player who needs to earn big money.

Coincidentally, Becker is competing with Ederson for a starting spot on the Brazilian national soccer team. If they both travel to Saudi Arabia at the same time, it could shake the foundation of the Brazilian team.

De Bruyne has returned from injury and is still showing off his skills, but his slow recovery has exposed a weakness. His image as a soccer guru is still 먹튀검증 intact, but he’ll need to keep his cool in the face of big money.

‘The Saudi league will reportedly sign around 10 of Europe’s biggest players,’ the outlet said. The spending may not be as big as it was in 2023, but no expense will be spared to keep the best players.

Of course, it’s unclear if he’ll be leaving so easily. The outlet added: ‘Salah is likely to remain at Liverpool in the next transfer window. Liverpool are also expected to offer Salah a new contract extension,” the report added.

Interestingly, no Arsenal player has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. No media outlet is reporting that any Arsenal players are being offered by Saudi clubs. Gabriel Jesus could be on the move, but without a striker, the Gunners are likely to hold on and see what happens next.

Of course, there are those who say that the Gunners will have to carefully weigh up any transfer offers from Saudi clubs if they want to profit from the transfer fee. In the case of Manchester United, there are other clubs interested in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, and others.