Fulham boss Marco Silva ‘supposed to be considering a big money move to Al-Hilal’ – as the Saudi Pro League continue their aggressive summer recruitment drive aimed at Europe’s top flight
- The manager’s £6m release clause could easily be met by the PIF side
- Silva steered Fulham to 10th and just ahead of their best-ever points tally
- Al-Hilal has already investigated Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva and Alvaro Morata
Fulham head coach Marco Silva is reportedly considering a lucrative move to manager in the Saudi Pro League.
The Portuguese manager had a successful season with the Cottagers, steering the West London side to a 10th-place finish and points tally, just one short of their best-ever top flight.
Silva is under contract with Fulham until June 2024, and his deal comes with a snappy £6million release clause should any club try to lure the manager away from Craven Cottage.
Al-Hilal – one of four Saudi Pro League clubs owned by the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund PIF – has been without a manager since the departure of former coach Ramon Diaz, and the side is said to have previously opened talks with Roma manager Jose Mourinho .
But according to the ias Silva ponders the offer from the Riyadh team, he will likely be convinced by the similar prestige of staying in the Premier League.
Al-Hilal is keen to lure Fulham boss Marco Silva away from London with a lucrative offer
The club has also made offers to sign Bernardo Silva (left) and Ruben Neves (right)
The Saudi Pro League has stepped up its efforts to attract top international talent during the summer transfer window.
Ruben Neves from Wolves was set to move to Al-Hilal for £47 million, making him the most expensive player sold by the club in their history.
The club are also pushing hard to convince Treble winner Bernardo Silva to make the move from Manchester City, with a wage offer of more than £75m per season, and have previously been linked with Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
Al-Ittihad, another club owned by the PIF, has already signed deals for megawatt stars Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, and league emissaries have set their sights on luring even more top European talent to the Gulf .
Chelsea could benefit the most from the recruitment campaign, with offers reportedly being prepared for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Saudi suitors for a number of players desperate to see The Blues off their books could be a way to offset the £600m the club has spent over the last two transfer windows.
Karim Benzema (left) and N’Golo Kante (right) are two of the stars who were seduced to the Kingdom
To remain active in the transfer market, Chelsea will have to sell a number of players over the summer to ensure they comply with Financial Fair Play rules.
Saudi’s bombastic move in the window has drawn criticism from a number of sources, including Gary Neville, who on Tuesday called for an “agile” inquiry into the league’s recruiting strategy.
Neville wrote on Instagram: “Any chance the Premier League can investigate this Saudi trade like NOW!!!
“Get in as soon as possible a regulator dexterous enough to stop these things at the source! If it doesn’t look good, it probably isn’t good! Independence is required as soon as possible. The board of our game is a mess!’