Out with the old, in with the new: Saudi Arabia lines up big summer of spending

Saudi Arabia promises to be one of the main players this summer.

According to AS, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) will return to the market in the next transfer window with three clear names on its roadmap: Vinícius Júnior, Mohamed Salah and Casemiro. The government is planning a statement move aimed at taking the league to the next level.

The league, together with the PIF, is preparing a summer shake-up. Several players are coming to the end of their contracts and will not renew, making way for fresh blood to raise the competition’s standard. Because even though the first phase of a long-term project has been a success, there is a sense that the room for growth is far greater.

The shortlist has been defined since almost last season, when an initial – unsuccessful – approach was made: Vinícius, Salah and Casemiro. In the Brazilian’s case, intermediaries contacted his entourage, though no formal offer was submitted. However, as this outlet previously reported, the current expectation is that he will renew with Real Madrid.

With Liverpool’s forward, as with the Brazilian, talks were also held with his camp, but the response then was a firm no. At the time, the Egyptian was clear that his present was still at Anfield – he felt there was plenty of football left in his legs. Today the picture is different. He is unhappy, as he publicly made clear a few weeks ago, and his future is increasingly ambiguous.

For now, Casemiro is the one closest to heading to the Persian Gulf. After announcing his departure from Manchester United – his contract expires at the end of the season and he will not renew – his range of options is wide. Al Ittihad sounded him out in the past, during a period of crisis with the Red Devils, and that option is now gaining traction.

The road to success

Much has changed – or they want it to change – since Saudi Arabia entered the international scene three seasons ago. In that first “Arab spring,” the country welcomed players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, Neymar, N’Golo Kanté, Bono, Rúben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić. It was a blend of players in their prime and established stars designed to launch the first three-year phase of the project.

The second phase involved moving on several veterans who had little impact on improving the competition, replacing them with young prospects. That market brought in Marcos Leonardo, Gabriel Carvalho and Gabri Veiga as the clearest examples of the new approach, known as the “Under-23 rule.” The average age dropped from 30 in the first year to 24 this season. After the 2026 World Cup, the expectation is that it will fall even further – the government’s big bet.

Looking ahead, the league’s masterstroke would be the privatization of the “big five” – Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, Al Ahli and Al Ettifaq – a decisive move that would shape the competition’s future ahead of the 2034 World Cup. Saudi Arabia wants to be big.