The 10 most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers of all time

The 10 most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers of all time The Saudi Pro League emerged as one of the richest leagues in football in 2023, with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) pumping astronomical money into the sport in order to sign some of the world’s best players. That strategy has worked, with Cristiano Ronaldo joining in December 2022 to start a chain of events that has seen Europe lose several of its brightest talents. Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante soon followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia, with the French pair both signing for . Ronaldo, Benzema and Kante all moved to Saudi Arabia on free transfers and were rewarded with bumper salaries, but the Saudi PIF - who own Al-Nassr, , Al-Ittihad and - have also spent big on transfer fees. Then, Neymar joined them in Saudi Arabia when he signed for Al-Hilal on a two-year deal after they spent €90m to acquire his services from PSG. In the process, Neymar became the most expensive Saudi Pro League signing ever. Furthermore, the likes of Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Fabinho left the Premier League for the riches of Saudi Arabia. The spending continued in 2024 and 2025, with Moussa Diaby, Jhon Duran, Mateo Retegui and more moving to the Middle East for astronomical sums. sources takes you through the 10 most expensive Saudi Pro League transfers of all time. 10. Galeno - €50m (Porto to Al-Ahli, 2025) When former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas was elected as Porto president, he walked into a financial mess that he had to sort out by making some painful sales. Galeno was one of them, having made more than 150 appearances for the Portuguese giants. However, when Al-Ahli offered to pay €50m for the Brazilian winger, it was an offer that was simply too good to pass up. It was a move that ultimately suited both parties: Porto fixed their financial issues and were able to build a strong team that would win the Primeira Liga in 2026, while Galeno would become a two-time AFC Champions League Elite winner in the space of 18 months. 9. Aleksandar Mitrovic - €52.6m (Fulham to Al-Hilal, 2023) 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 had a brilliant first season at Al-Hilal as he finished second top scorer in the league and led his team to the title. 8. Darwin Nunez - €53m (Liverpool to Al-Hilal, 2025 Uruguay international Darwin Nunez was supposed to be Liverpool's long-term star striker when he joined from Benfica for a huge financial package that eventually rose to €85m in 2022. However, the erratic forward failed to have the desired impact in the Premier League. While his scoring record was never terrible, he was just not consistent enough of a finisher to lead the line for a team like Liverpool. After increasingly seeing his role diminish in the Premier League-winning 2024/25 season, he was sold to Al-Hilal for €53m. His Saudi adventure didn't last long, though. After just half a season, he was de-registered from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League squad so that they could add new signing Karim Benzema to their roster. 7. Ruben Neves - €55m (Wolves to Al-Hilal, 2023) Ruben Neves’ €55m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Al-Hilal became the most expensive transfer in Saudi Pro League history at the start of the summer of 2023, before it was smashed first by Malcom and subsequently Neymar. The midfielder, who became the youngest ever captain in Champions League history during his time with Porto, was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, but the Blaugrana weren’t able to pay a suitable fee for his services. A continuation of his stay at Molineux looked a possibility until Al-Hilal entered the race for his signature and coughed up a huge fee to persuade Wolves to sell. The transfer was particularly key as Neves was the first player from Europe’s top five leagues to leave the continent in their prime to move to Saudi Arabia. 6. Malcom - €60m (Zenit to Al-Hilal, 2023) Malcom is best known for his failed transfer to Barcelona, which lasted just 12 months and saw him score just four goals in 24 appearances. Remarkably, Barcelona turned a €500k profit on the Brazil winger when they sold him to Zenit one year after purchasing him, with Malcom enjoying a prolific stint in Russia. He bagged 42 goals for the club in just over 100 appearances