Al Hilal: A Quick Roundup of The Summer Transfer Window 2023

Saudi Pro League flipped over the transfer market. Helped by the endless riches of the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund that manages roughly $700 billion in government money, Saudi Arabia attracted some of football’s biggest stars this summer. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in December was the main cause of the European exodus, starting a trend that evolved into arguably the biggest story in the sport.

Top clubs in the Saudi pro league like Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli got a better hold on the PIF’s riches as they are to function under their ownership. With the Saudi transfer window now closed, here’s a comprehensive list of players who made the lucrative switch to the Middle East in recent months.

Who Signed for Al-Hilal

Saudi Arabia’s most successful club has won 18 league titles and a record four Asian Champions Leagues and reached the 2022 Club World Cup final. Big names have been associated with this club this recent summer and has created a ripple effect not just across the nation but the whole world. Let’s look at some of the hype-worthy transfers for Al-Hilal this season

Also Read: Mbappe To Mohd Salah: Top 10 Saudi Pro League Transfer Rumors

Neymar (PSG) – reported €90M fee

Paris Saint Germain quickly gave the green light to Al-Hilal’s proposal of a whopping €100 million for the 31-year-old. As per reports, the French club bought the Brazilian star for a world record €222 million fee back in 2017. The winger leaves after a six-year spell in the capital of France. Initially, Neymar was brought to the Paris-based club with the ambition of lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy.

But even with the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe, that dream didn’t come to fruition. So, the club has now decided to cash in and move on. Plus, it will help keep their accounts in check with the Financial Fair Play regulations.

Malcom (Zenit St. Petersburg) – reported €60M fee

The former Zenit St. Petersburg winger Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira has experienced sharing the dressing room with legendary players at FC Barcelona. Although it was a bitter experience in the end, just after a year of joining the Catalan Giants, Malcom decided to get more playing time which Zenit FC offered. Now the Brazilian, instead of trying to break into a bigger European team, has decided to move to the Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal.

Al-Hilal has won the Asian Champions League four times. Zenit’s CEO Alexandr Medvedev told RIA Novosti that Al-Hilal would pay 60 million euros ($66.38 million) for the transfer. The 26-year-old is Al-Hilal’s fourth signing this summer after Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves.

Ruben Neves (Wolves) – reported £47M fee

Ruben Neves showcased great showmanship both on and off the ball in his games in the Arab Champions Cup and is now set to play Saudi Pro League football this year. Wolves reportedly accepted $55 million in transfer fees from Al-Hilal. He is a surprising signing, as at 26, he could have easily made the starting XI of most Champions League clubs across Europe.

However, the Portuguese midfielder is set to pocket almost €18.36 million per year, a significant rise from his €57,632 per week salary at Molineux. Neves left the Wanderers after making 253 appearances and scoring 30 goals. “No other player has made such an impact on the pitch in gold and black during the last six years having featured more than 250 times in a remarkable period in the club’s history,” Wolves said in a statement.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) – reported £46M fee

Aleksandar Mitrovic finally joined Al-Hilal in mid-August after weeks of speculation that he would leave Fulham. The Serbian striker left Fulham as their sixth-highest goal-scorer in history (150), while he is their record-ever departure. The forward is not only the fifth most expensive signing in Saudi Arabian history, but he is also the fourth most expensive Al-Hilal signing following a historic summer of spending.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio) – reported €40M fee

Since moving to Lazio in the summer of 2015, not a year has passed without Sergej Milinkovi-Savi being linked with a move. Although it never materialized until Al-Hilal came calling. After leaving the Belgium club KRC Genk in 2015 to play for Biancocelestis, the Serbian central midfielder appeared 341 times for Lazio between the summer of 2015 and 2023. In his time with the Italian outfit, Milinkovi-Savi managed to net 69 goals and 59 assists.

Yassine Bounou (Sevilla) – reported €21M fee

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou completed his move to Al-Hilal from Sevilla for a reported €21m fee on a three-year contract with the Saudi Pro League club. The club also secured the signing of Neymar Jr. from Paris Saint-Germain shortly after securing Bounou.

Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea) – reported £17M fee

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly cut short his time at Stamford Bridge after he confirmed his transfer to Saudi pro league club Al-Hilal.

Coaches that made the switch: Jorge Jesus

Portuguese professional football manager and former player is now the manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. He returned back to the club after leaving in 2019 following a brief stint of one season. Now former Fenerbahçe manager seeks to work the magic at al-Hilal, although having a star-studded team he might also have a challenge managing the strong-headed stars.

Who else was linked with Al-Hilal

The PIF is keen to keep adding players to its ever-growing stable of stars after assuming control of Saudi Arabia’s four biggest clubs – the league’s founding members Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr. The summer spree may be over, but don’t expect the rumors to slow down. The January window will be open before you know it.

Who rejected the move to Al-Hilal?

KYLIAN MBAPPE: The unrealized transfer heard around the sports world. Much to the dismay of PSG, Mbappe reportedly refused to negotiate with Al-Hilal despite being offered a gargantuan base salary of €200 million – and the potential to earn up to €700 million total for just one season.

VICTOR OSIMHEN: The knock-on effect of Mbappe’s refusal didn’t take long to materialize. Osimhen, however, adopted a similar stance. Al-Hilal’s final offer reportedly came in at €60 million annually over three years, along with a € 110 million transfer fee to the Italian champions.

BERNARDO SILVA: Al-Hilal reportedly offered the Portuguese international a monstrous deal worth around £500,000 per week early in the transfer window. After mulling the offer, and also being linked with PSG, Silva decided to extend his contract with treble holders Manchester City.

LIONEL MESSI: Saudi Arabia’s hopes of landing Ronaldo’s arch-rival Messi and recreating their rivalry in the Riyadh derby received a blow when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner turned down a record offer of €400m ($436m) per year from Al Hilal, opting instead to join MLS side Inter Miami.