Three Saudi clubs hunting for big names at Barcelona | OneFootball

Since Hansi Flick’s arrival, FC Barcelona have emerged as one of the most entertaining and competitive footballing sides in Europe. The Catalans remain on track to win all the big titles this season, and their overall performances on the pitch have also been worthy of a lot of praise.

With these performances, several Blaugrana players have made their claims to be recognised as the best in their respective positions. This is particularly true for players like Raphinha and Pedri, who are among the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

These performances have also naturally attracted the attention of other clubs across the world, and according to SPORT, three clubs from Saudi Arabia are particularly keen to take away some of the most notable members of this Barcelona squad.

One of these clubs is Al-Hilal, the most powerful team in Saudi Arabia, which is competing with Al-Ittihad for the league title. After a clearly failed stint with Neymar, the Saudi side now wants another superstar forward. They were previously trying to sign Vinicius Junior, but now have set their sights on Raphinha.

The star forward is currently in negotiations with Barcelona for a renewal, but the two sides are yet to eliminate their differences about salary and duration of the new contract. He will be unlikely to leave the Catalan club at this point in time, when the possibility of winning titles is the highest, but an offer will still be made for him.

Another Saudi club, Al-Nassr, is hunting for centre-backs, and they are not looking for reserve team players or options like Clement Lenglet, who are already on the market, but want a really big name, like Jules Kounde or Ronald Araujo.

These two players have rejected such a move for now, but Andreas Christensen, who is going to be on the market this summer, can be interested if an offer arrives for him.

Lastly, Al-Ittihad, who recently bought Unai Hernandez from Barcelona, want another midfielder, and have their eyes set on Frenkie de Jong. A few months ago, such an operation would have had a higher likelihood of success, but for now, the Dutchman is looking quite likely to renew his contract and stay at the Blaugrana club.

In such a scenario, there will be no shortage of tempting offers from Saudi Arabia for Barcelona. But it remains to be seen whether any of these players will be willing to undertake a move to the Middle East.