Saudi Arabia’s unexpected push for the cream of the European footballing crop looks set to continue as Manchester City star Bernardo Silva reportedly is nearing a shock move to the Gulf state this summer.
Spanish outlet MARCA detailed a growing reality that Saudi’s PIF-backed market aggression across the summer is part of a wider national aim to bring football in the Kingdom to new heights in a bid to host the 2030 World Cup, with the fostering of a truly competitive domestic league – one that can hopefully compete with the best Europe has to offer – part of the plan lead down by crown prince Mohamed bin Salmán.
‼️ Bernardo Silva pone a Arabia Saudí en una nueva dimensión: de Liga de ‘retirados’ a fichajes top de Europa https://t.co/IHSLq2mruv Lo cuenta @rujilo
— MARCA (@marca) June 21, 2023
Rumors that Silva could possibly leave the recently-crowned treble winners had persisted during the 2022-23 season, but it was anticipated that a potential move to Barcelona could be on the cards in the same pathway taken by İlkay Gündoğan per reports earlier today after the German star confirmed his free move to Spotify Camp Nou.
Though Saudi’s big-four clubs (Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli) are being tabled as destinations for veteran names the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kanté, there are growing concerns that the seemingly endless wealth the league can bring to the table to offer stars of the game wages that even Europe’s elite cannot match has led many pundits to question if players are making the right moves for their careers.
Beyond stars entering the twilight of their time on a professional pitch, a move for Silva, as well as compatriot Rúben Neves, is setting a clear precedent that Saudi Arabia means business when it comes to their desire to grow their domestic competition in the next 5-7 years.
With massive financial packages capable of being offered, there is plenty of scope to suggest that the pathway to the Arabian peninsula could well and truly be open for any player who wishes to maximize their career earnings across what are, in reality, short careers by comparison to other walks of life.
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