Over the past few years, the Saudi Pro League grown as an attractive destination for footballers of all ages.
It isn’t so much a retirement league, but a growing financial power enticing players of all ages. Think the Chinese Super League boon of the mid- to late-2010s. Only this one is showing no signs of stopping.
Players from all leagues are being drawn to Saudi Arabia and a lot of money has been spent by clubs. Crysencio Summerville is the latest, leaving West Ham United following their relegation from the Premier League.
Which got us thinking. How have the most-expensive sales from the Premier League to the Saudi Pro League got on? We know West Ham aren’t Premier League any more, but the name still draws links with England’s top flight.
So, we took a look.
10. Joao Felix
- From: Chelsea
- To: Al-Nassr
- Fee: £26.2m
Joao Felix had an interesting relationship with Chelsea. He underwhelmed on loan in the second half of 2022-23, but returned permanently in 2024. However, he struggled again and only lasted a year before being sold to Al-Nassr.
The Portuguese forward got off to a dream start in the Saudi Pro League, scoring a hat-trick on his debut. Another hat-trick followed soon after and Joao Felix had 13 goals in his first 11 Saudi Pro League games. He had a similarly strong start in the AFC Champions League, with four goals in the group stage. But the goals started to dry up. Joao Felix went 14 games without a goal in the league — though he was still assisting — and scored just seven more times for the rest of the campaign. Nonetheless, Joao Felix ended his first Saudi Pro League season with the title and 33 goals and assists.
9. Allan Saint-Maximin
- From: Newcastle
- To: Al-Ahli
- Fee: £26.8m
Allan Saint-Maximin was a fan favourite at Newcastle United, and a player that could make you fall in love with football. He ended a four-year stay with the Magpies in 2023, making the move to the Saudi Pro League. But he didn’t stay too long.
The Frenchman joined Al-Ahli but struggled to make much of an impact, particularly when comparing to others on this list. He scored just four goals in 30 league games and provided nine assists. That did include a hat-trick of assists in a 4-0 win over Al-Fayha. But Saint-Maximin left Saudi Arabia after one year, joining Fenerbahce on loan. The permanent departure came a year later, with Club America the destination in the summer of 2025. But Saint-Maximin left Club America after six months, signing for Lens. He’s now in MLS with Charlotte FC.
8. Riyad Mahrez
- From: Man City
- To: Al-Ahli
- Fee: £30m
In the same season Al-Ahli signed Saint-Maximin, they also added Riyad Mahrez to their ranks. And he has fared much better. The Algerian was further in his career, joining at the age of 32, after winning everything he could for Manchester City and being a key player in those successes.
Riyad Mahrez hit double figures for both goals and assists in his first league season at Al-Ahli, scoring 11 and setting up a further 13. He started all 32 of his league appearances and was an integral part of Al-Ahli’s attack. Although his numbers dropped slightly in the league in his following season, Mahrez played a big part in Al-Ahli winning the AFC Champions. The Algerian scored nine goals and provided eight assists, only failing to be involved in a goal in two of his 13 matches. Mahrez’s numbers dropped again slightly last season, now aged 35, and he left Al-Ahli in the summer.
7. Ivan Toney
- From: Brentford
- To: Al-Ahli
- Fee: £40m
Ivan Toney seemed to have the pick of the Premier League moves at the peak of his career. He was one of the best strikers in the English top flight, firing in goals for fun at Brentford. But an eight-month ban for betting breaches halted his stride, and Toney eventually left England in 2024.
Ah-Ahli were the destination, with the Saudi move drawing raised eyebrow. But Toney has been scoring for fun. In his first season, Toney scored 30 goals across all competitions, including 23 in the Saudi Pro League. A further six came in the AFC Champions League, helping Ah-Ahli win the trophy. He scored even more goals last season, netting 42 in 49 across all competitions, with 32 in the league to just miss out on the Golden Boot. But his performance was too good to ignore, and Toney earned a spot in England‘s World Cup squad.
6. Fabinho
- From: Liverpool
- To: Al-Ittihad
- Fee: £40m
Fabinho had fallen slightly down the pecking order at Liverpool by the time he left for Al-Ittihad in 2023. But that wasn’t before he won the Premier League and Champions League with the Reds across a five-year stay at Anfield.
The Brazilian didn’t have the best of first seasons in Saudi Arabia, suffering injuries, restricting him to just 19 league appearances. But the following year was much better. Fabinho was almost ever-present at the base of Al-Ittihad’s midfield as they won the Saudi Pro League, only missing two games through suspension. It was a similar story last season, with 44 appearances across all competitions although the league finish was more disappointing. Fabinho had been named Al-Ittihad captain too, donning the armbad across the campaign. But Fabinho’s time at the club looks to be up, with his contract over and no signs of a new deal being on the table.
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5. Darwin Nunez
- From: Liverpool
- To: Al-Hilal
- Fee: £46m
Like Joao Felix, Darwin Nunez was another big-name departure from the Premier League in the summer of 2025. But his Saudi destination was Al-Hilal. The Uruguayan had never really lived up to the high expectations placed upon him following his big-money move to Liverpool.
He hasn’t really settled at Al-Hilal either. Nunez only played 24 games across all competitions in his first season, scoring nine goals. But he was removed from their squad halfway through the campaign, amid reports of a departure. Nunez didn’t manage to secure a move away, but he looks set to leave this summer should a suitable destination come up.
4. Ruben Neves
- From: Wolves
- To: Al-Hilal
- Fee: £47m
Ruben Neves appeared to be hitting the peak of his career when he swapped Wolverhampton Wanderers for Al-Hilal. He had grown over six years in the Midlands, becoming one of the top midfielders in the Premier League. But, aged 26, he made the move to Saudi Arabia, sending a hefty sum of money the other way.
Now 29, Neves has racked up over 100 appearances for Al-Hilal across all competitions, and has strong goalscoring and assist numbers. Neves immediately became an important player for Al-Hilal in their midfield, forming part of their double pivot. He only missed a handful of games in his first season and provided 12 assists. Neves suffered slightly with injuries the following season, but was still crucial to the team and his importance grew in 2025-26. While Neves was still providing the assists, he also started scoring more as Al-Hilal’s dedicated penalty taker. He signed a new deal earlier in 2026, keeping him at Al-Hilal until at least 2029.
3. Aleksandar Mitrovic
- From: Fulham
- To: Al-Hilal
- Fee: £50m
Aleksandar Mitrovic had often struggled in the Premier League, but did well in his seasons in the Championship. His best top-flight campaign for Fulham came in 2022-23, when he scored 14 goals in 24 games. And then he left for Saudi Arabia that summer.
Al-Hilal were the destination, and Mitrovic continued his scoring record. In fact, he doubled the amount of league goals in his first Saudi Pro League season, netting 28 in 28 games. That included a run of 11 consecutive matches in which he found the net. The following season, Mitrovic scored 19 goals in 23 games but he missed a chunk of the campaign through injury. Mitrovic only stayed at Al-Hilal for two seasons, making the move across the Middle East to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan.
2. Moussa Diaby
- From: Aston Villa
- To: Al-Ittihad
- Fee: £50.5m
The first of two Aston Villa players on this list, Moussa Diaby only spent one season at Villa Park before he made the move to Al-Ittihad in 2024. The Villans were able to pretty much recoup what they spent on the Frenchman, who scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 54 games.
Diaby hit the ground running in Saudi Arabia, going on a run of seven league games in which he provided an assist. That included four in a 7-1 win in what was just his third Saudi Pro League match. Unfortunately, an injury halted his progress and he wasn’t really the same in the second half of the season. It did still end with a league title, though. Last season, Diaby was slightly less impactful, but he remains a key player for Al-Ittihad.
1. Jhon Duran
- From: Aston Villa
- To: Al-Nassr
- Fee: £64.4m
Just a few months after Aston Villa received £50.5m for Diaby, they sold Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr for £64.4m. This perceived as a strange move, with Duran looking set to break into the Aston Villa starting lineup following strong performances from the bench. He had also been linked with big moves across the Premier League.
But Saudi Arabia was the destination. It hasn’t gone well, though. Now 18 months on from his initial move, Duran has only played 18 games for Al-Nassr. Granted, he scored 12 goals during that time, but life in Saudi Arabia wasn’t for him. The next summer, Duran joined Fenerbahce on loan but again it was a short stay. Another loan followed to Zenit for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, and Duran is now on loan at Benfica for the 2026-27 campaign.