Saudi Pro League ‘target SECOND Real Madrid player’ after Vinicius Jnr ‘turned down’ a lucrative move to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the division
- Saudi Arabia reportedly wanted to make Vinicius Jnr ‘the face of their division’
- A second Real Madrid player is reportedly being targeted by the PIF
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Saudi Arabia are reportedly looking to sign a second Real Madrid star, following interest in Vinicius Jnr.
According to reports, Vinicius has turned down the chance to make a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League after his representatives were approached by the delegation of the Public Investment Fund, which works on behalf of the country’s Ministry of Sports.
It was said that the PIF wanted to convince the 24-year-old to become the face of the competition ahead of the 2034 World Cup in the country. Other reports suggested that his salary would be 13 times higher than his salary at Real Madrid.
It is now reported that a club and compatriot of Vinicius has been approached by Saudi Arabia.
Ge.Globo have reported that the PIF contacted Eder Militao agents earlier this week to see if there was any interest in a move to Saudi Arabia.
Eder Militao is the latest player linked with the Saudi Pro League
Militao (second from left) played the entire duration of Real Madrid’s UEFA Super Cup victory this week
Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jnr reportedly turned down a move to the Saudi Pro League
Talks are said to be at an early stage, but a deal is “far from easy”.
Militao is said to have an emotional bond with Real Madrid, making it difficult to convince the 26-year-old attacker to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite their success in LaLiga and the Champions League last season, Militao endured a frustrating 2023-24 campaign.
He tore his cruciate ligament during the opening league match of the season against Athletic Bilbao and only made his comeback in the return leg against the same opponent on 31 March.
Militao hopes to feature more this season and played the full match in Wednesday’s 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta.
Saudi Arabia’s potential takeover of Militao is complicated by Real Madrid’s lack of defensive options and the fact that the defender has a £427m release fee.
That release clause is still nothing compared to Vinicius, who has a release clause of £1billion.
It has been a relatively quiet summer for the Saudi Pro League so far. Over the past two years, they have managed to lure the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the Middle East. Their biggest signing was the £50m move that saw Moussa Diaby swap Aston Villa for Al Ittihad.
Real Madrid legends Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the big names to have moved to Saudi Arabia in recent years
Other big names have been linked with a move, including Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson.
Militao left Porto for Real Madrid in June 2019 and has since made 156 appearances for Los Blancos.
He extended his contract with Real Madrid until June 2028, a deal he announced in January.
