Saudi Pro League clubs plan to sign up to 50 players from Europe’s top five leagues this summer, reports ESPN.
Al Nassr snapped up Cristiano Ronaldo last December and it has brought commercial success to the league.
The Portuguese forward had his contract terminated by Manchester United before moving for free.
Al Hilal have Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi on their radar as they look to rival Al Nassr with the move.
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets and Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha have also been linked with moves to the SPL.
Saudi want to make their football a force to be reckoned with globally and are working tirelessly towards achieving their aims.
The Kingdom’s Ministry of Sport is backing the plan, and clubs are targeting players set to become free agents this summer.
The English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1 and Italian Serie A are the best in Europe.
Plenty of top players will be out of contract in June, and Saudi clubs are ready to move for them.
Players from the Portuguese Primeira Liga will also be targeted, but there will not be mouthwatering deals for every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Only the top and exceptional stars would earn close to the mammoth deal Ronaldo is on.
Al Hilal plan to hand Messi €400 million per year, and while others will not make anything close to that, Saudi will hand out lucrative deals.
The Kingdom is hosting the FIFA Club World Cup in December and also plan to submit a bid to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Recruiting top stars is part of a large-scale plan to make Saudi football more appealing.
SPL clubs can have eight non-Saudi players per squad.
Seven are eligible to be selected for the matchday squad, and no club have fewer than six foreign players right now.
Saudi could become the next destination for football stars, and the summer transfer window promises to be interesting.
