The 10 European clubs who have made the most money selling players to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has seen an influx of talent from European clubs in recent seasons, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr proving the catalyst for big moves to be made.
There has been big money spent to take talent from Europe, and some clubs have been impacted more than others.
Here, we have looked into the 10 European clubs who have made the most money by selling talent to Saudi Arabia.
10. Roma
Roma sold three players to the Saudi Pro League in two years, with Roger Ibanez making a reported €23million (£19.9m) move to Al-Ahli in 2023-24.
The following year, Houssem Aouar went to Al-Ittihad for €12million (£10.4m) and Joao Costa joined Al-Ittihad for €9million (£7.8m).
9. Fulham
Fulham striker Mitrovic followed a very successful spell with the Cottagers, in which he bagged more than 100 goals, with a £50million move to Al-Hilal.
Mitrovic is the only player Fulham have sold to the Saudi Pro League, but the size of the move was one of the biggest on its own, earning them ninth on the list.
=7. Zenit
Zenit have also sold just one player to the Saudi Pro League, but it was a huge transfer. They signed Brazilian winger Malcom from Barcelona in 2019 for £36million, and four years later, he made the switch to Al-Hilal.
The move cost approximately £51.9million, which made the winger the fourth most-expensive signing in the history of the Saudi Pro League.
=7. Wolves
Wolves’ biggest sale to the Saudi Pro League was perhaps their biggest star, as Ruben Neves headed there for £47million in 2023.
They then sold Daniel Podence to Al-Shabab for approximately £5million the following season, putting the Molineux outfit on level pegging with Zenit on the list.
6. Liverpool
Liverpool decimated their midfield by selling two regulars to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.
Fabinho was the most expensive move, joining Al-Ittihad for £40million in July. At a similar time, captain Jordan Henderson moved to Al-Ettifaq for £12million, to link up with former Reds midfielder Steven Gerrard, who was managing there at the time.
5. Chelsea
In 2023, Chelsea sold two first-team regulars to the Saudi Pro League, in Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly.
The former went to Al-Ahli for £16million, and Koulibaly moved to Al-Hilal for £20million.
The Blues then pulled off a transfer masterstroke the following year, as they sold Angelo Gabriel to Al-Nassr for just over £19million, despite the winger never having played a game for them. That brought their total sales to Saudi up to £55million.
4. Manchester City
City have made approximately £75million through sales to the Saudi Pro League, with all of the assets they let go still close to the top of their games.
Riyad Mahrez, still an electric winger, was sold for the most, when he signed for Al-Ahli for £30million in 2023.
Al-Nassr have benefitted from City’s willingness to sell top players, as that same summer, they signed Aymeric Laporte for a reported £23.6million, and they then added Joao Cancelo for £21.2million the following year.
3. Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have made approximately £89million from sales to the Saudi Pro League, and a lot of that figure was tied up in one deal.
Neymar’s £77.8million transfer to Al-Hilal is the highest fee paid by a Saudi club in history.
In that same summer, PSG had let Georginio Wijnaldum go to Al Ettifaq for approximately £6.9million, and Danilo Pereira left for Al-Ittihad the following year, for around £4.3million.
2. Porto
Porto have sold £95million worth of players – just two – to the Saudi Pro League, making up their biggest and fifth-biggest departures of all time.
The big move was Otavio, the attacking midfielder joining Al-Nassr for £51.9million in 2023.
A year later, Brazilian winger Galeno joined Al-Ahli for £43.2million.
Porto have since brought some talent back from Saudi Arabia, signing Gabri Veiga from Al-Ahli, after the 23-year-old moved there from Celta Vigo in 2023.
1. Aston Villa
Villa have made two high-value sales to the Saudi Pro League, making up the second and third most-expensive signings in the history of the league.
A lengthy saga with Jhon Duran in January ended with the striker making a £71million move to Al-Nassr, though he has already moved on, to Fenerbahce.
That was six months after Moussa Diaby left for Al Ittihad in a transfer worth just over £50million.
READ NEXT: 7 high-profile players who’ve left the Saudi Pro League this summer: Duran, Veiga…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the 20 highest-paid players in the Saudi Pro League?