The Saudi Pro League have really put the cat amongst the pigeons as far as one current England international is concerned.
It seems that the 68th best league in the world (TeamForm) will stop at nothing to get the players that they want, with it surely hoped that bigger and bigger names eventually make their way to the Gulf.
As of this moment, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are arguably the major crowd pullers, though the latter has been injured for much of the time since his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Brentford and England’s Ivan Toney offered 15 times his salary by Saudis
Square Mile note that Ronaldo’s salary is a mind-boggling £173m per year, which makes him far and away the highest-paid footballer in the world.
Neymar is second in that particular list, earning £86m per year, whilst Karim Benzema is on the podium with a salary of £85m per year.
Lionel Messi’s £55m per year for playing at Inter Miami would appear to pale into comparison.
Sliding further down the scale, a £15.4m a year deal for Brentford’s England international, Ivan Toney, would appear to be a drop in the ocean for Al Ahli, but when put in context, would still be a massive pay day for the 28-year-old.
Foot Mercato report on the offer made to Toney, for him to move in the current transfer window.
Though it may not sound a lot by today’s standards, Capology report that he currently earns just over £1m a year at present.
Clearly, the Saudis would be able to easily afford Toney’s transfer fee, so there would appear to be a big decision for the player to make over the next couple of weeks.
What the SPL still lacks in infrastructure and popularity can surely be overlooked because of the amount of cash being banked.