01 September 2023 , 14:11
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The Saudi Pro League has certainly made its mark this summer.
Several big-name superstars have made the jump to Saudi Arabia from Europe, including Neymar, Roberto Firmino and Riyad Mahrez. Chelsea and Liverpool are among the Premier League sides that have been most affected by the wealth of finance generated by the Public Investment Fund - who now own Saudi's four biggest clubs.
As a result, the spending has been on another scale as Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and others strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window. Al-Ettifaq, now managed by Steven Gerrard, have also brought Jordan Henderson and Moussa Dembele through the door, with Georginio Wijnaldum to follow.
But when is the deadline for Saudi Pro League teams to finalise their summer business?
Well, one thing for certain is that they will have longer than those in the Premier League. In Europe, the transfer window closes on Friday, September 1, with the deadline in the UK being 11pm.The exact date for the Saudi Pro League deadline day, meanwhile, is unclear. FIFA have it listed as Wednesday, September 20.
All the details for Cristiano Ronaldo's next Saudi Pro League game for Al-Nassr
Meanwhile, on the division's own website, they claim clubs have until Thursday, September 7 to sign players. If the latter is correct, Al-Ittihad have less than a week to sew up a deal for Mohamed Salah, who has been the subject of a bid in the region of £150m from the Saudi champions.
Liverpool instantly rejected Al-Ittihad's proposal as the Reds continue to insist that Salah is not for sale - and that is final as far as the club is concerned. Salah, who scored 30 goals in 51 matches last season, has two years left on his current Liverpool contract after only signing a new deal in 2022.
Salah remains Liverpool's most important player (MDI/REX/Shutterstock)Ahead of Liverpool's game against Aston Villa this weekend, Jurgen Klopp said: "The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that. That's how it is. Nothing else to say." If Salah does leave, Liverpool will have little time to react and replace before the window closes in England.
But should Salah make the switch to Nuno Espirito Santo's Al-Ittihad, then he will team-up with ex-teammate Fabinho and Karim Benzema in the Middle-East. Salah would be the fourth Liverpool player to move to Saudi Arabia this summer after Henderson, Fabinho and Firmino.
Chelsea have seen three players join the exodus in N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, while Ruben Neves, Allan Saint-Maximim, Aymeric Laporte and Sadio Mane also now ply their trade in Saudi Arabia. Two of the four biggest Saudi Pro League clubs go head-to-head on Friday when Al-Ittihad face Al-Hilal.