11 Players Who Have Rejected Moves To The Saudi Pro League | OneFootball

There's no denying that the Saudi Pro League has attracted a ton of football stars from Europe this summer and their ever-growing influence in the game may be scary to some.

That being said, not all players have given in to the allure, charm, glitz, glamour and beyond-lucrative contracts that have been put on the table. Is this a sign that the Saudi Pro League still have plenty to do in their quest for world football domination? Perhaps. However, it's still nice to see top talents choosing to stay put.

We've taken a look at the players who said no to the Saudi Pro League and have conducted thorough research into why they decided to turn down a potential once-in-a-lifetime offer. This article has been generated based on substantiated reporting, coupled with evidence-backed rejections provided by the widely popular sports news outlet ESPN and Sky Sports.

1 Lionel Messi - Al Hilal

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi turned down a record offer of £345 million to join Al Hilal in the summer of 2023, instead opting to move to Inter Miami and link up with his former teammate David Beckham.

The Saudis had hopes and dreams of recreating the fierce Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry in the Saudi Pro League. Alas, Messi had other ideas on this one.

In true Messi fashion, he chose to move in the opposite direction to his Portuguese nemesis, leaving many football fans in awe of the little Argentine's decision. And it's a decision that looks to be paying off, with the ace scoring a last-minute free kick in his Inter Miami debut. Sensational.

In all fairness, it's not like Messi needs any more cash and his deal with Inter Miami will likely be just as lucrative as the one offered by Al Hilal.

2 Romelu Lukaku - Al Hilal

Lukaku doesn't seem to be part of Chelsea's plans for the 2023/2024 campaign after his loan spell with Italian giants Inter Milan came to an end.

Despite this, Lukaku still turned down an approach from Al Hilal for his signature with the forward preferring a move to a top European club.

It seems the Belgium international still has his sights set on becoming a star on the continent he was born and like many others, wants to play for a traditional club with heaps of history. Nevertheless, it's unclear who would actually pay a decent sum to Chelsea for his services when you look at his recent poor form. Another bid from Saudi perhaps?

With his future still far from clear, this will be a transfer story worth keeping an eye on in the coming months.

3 Jose Mourinho - Al Ahli

The special one wasn't too convinced by the project laid out to him by Al Ahli and chose against moving his managerial career to the Saudi Pro League.

Having made it to two European finals on the trot with AS Roma, it's clear that Mourinho still has plenty to achieve in Europe's top five leagues. A Serie A title? Or perhaps another go at the Europa League next season? Anything could happen in the wild and wonderful world of Mourinho.

Nevertheless, this didn't stop Mourinho from exploring the potential switch to Saudi entirely and it was rumoured that the Portuguese tactician did indeed meet with the Al Ahli president.

Although, it looks like that meeting wasn't too successful.

4 Marco Silva - Al Ahli

Fulham manager Marco Silva was also courted by Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli to become their new manager for the 2023/2024 season.

However, like his compatriot Jose Mourinho, Silva turned down a £40 million offer, much to the delight of Fulham fans. It's unlikely the Saudi club will come back with any new deal now, with the tactician confirming his desire to stay in England.

Kudos to Silva who has announced he has "total commitment" to the cause at Fulham as he looks to keep the London club on track for another successful Premier League campaign.

A two-year deal for £40 million? Not many would have blamed Silva for packing his bags and leaving.

5 Son Heung-Min - Al Ittihad

The Tottenham star was offered a reported £25 million per year to make the move to the Saudi Pro League. However, the South Korean international snubbed the offer.

"I have many things to do in the Premier League. Money doesn't matter to me now, and the pride of playing football, to play in my favourite league is important. I want to play more for Tottenham in the Premier League. I'll prepare well when I'm back to Spurs," he said.

An admirable approach to take and one that shows that the Saudi Pro League still has plenty to do to prize away the very best talents playing in Europe. However, this is a move we could see happening further down the line, especially when you consider Son's massive appeal in Asia.

6 Luka Modric - Al Hilal

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner rejected a three-year, £170 million to play for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, instead choosing to extend his current Real Madrid contract by one year. Classy as ever.

Modric has proven in recent seasons that he is still very much one of the best midfielders in the world and it would have been a shame to see him leave the continent for the cash in Saudi. Who better for Jude Bellingham to learn the craft of a midfield phenom from than the Croatian international?

A move to the Gulf just wasn't the move Modric wanted to make at this stage in his career with his Real Madrid legacy still very much at the forefront of his mind.

7 Jamie Vardy - Al Khaleej

With Leicester City relegated to the Championship and many of their stars choosing to leave the King Power Stadium it was thought that Vardy would follow suit. Especially now James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have confirmed their exits.

However, the former Premier League Golden Boot winner chose against a move to the Middle East to join Al Khaleej, although, it's unclear just how much they were offering.

This is music to the ears of English fans wanting to witness what Vardy could do in the Championship for Leicester. We think he'll be banging them in on the regular.

8 Pedro - Al Hilal

The 26-year-old turned down the chance to join Al Hilal and rejected a lucrative contract offer that was put on the table to Flamengo for his services.

Arguably the hottest talent in South American football who is still very much up for grabs as things speak, Pedro shot to fame after an impressive season in the Brazilian top flight. Scoring 29 goals, 12 of which came in the Copa Libertadores.

Al Hilal, who has since appointed former Flamengo coach Jorge Jesus as their new head coach will likely now try to up their offer for the Brazilian. There is also reported interest from Premier League clubs in the Brazilian forward, however, a link-up with his former manager may prove to be the icing on the cake in this deal.

9 Alvaro Morata - Al-Taawoun

Morata has been around the block in terms of transfers and he's the exact type of talent that many would have thought to jump at the chance to move to the Saudi Pro League.

However, the Spanish international reportedly turned down a £43 million per year deal to join Al-Taawoun, a lesser-known Saudi Pro League club. Not bad money for a forward who is viewed to be past his sell-by date by fans and pundits alike.

He's since decided to stay at Atletico Madrid, signing a contract extension with the Spanish giants, putting this transfer rumour to bed.

10 Sergio Busquets - Al Hilal

Another Spaniard who has snubbed Saudi is Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets, who was widely tipped to join Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al Hilal.

Nevertheless, the midfield maestro opted to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami for the twilight years of his career, much to the delight of David Beckham and co, ending his love affair with Barcelona where he won countless trophies along the way.

It's unclear what kind of money was offered to Busquets to join the Saudi Pro League, however, he's more than likely earning near the total now at Inter Miami.

11 Ousmane Dembele - Al Nassr

Al-Nassr have already snapped up the likes of Seko Fofana and Marcelo Brozovic this summer and wanted to lure Frenchman Ousmane Dembele into their ranks too.

The winger, however, reportedly turned down a five-year deal worth £35 million per season from Al-Nassr for the chance at European greatness with Barcelona.

Fair play to Dembele for turning down those crazy numbers, it's astonishing to see some of the money being thrown about in these Saudi transfers at the moment.

Dembele will likely be the subject of increased bids in the upcoming campaigns, with the winger still very much at the peak of his career.