Al Nassr
Joao Felix’s Europe return could be nearing: five possible landing spots
Joao Felix is eyeing a Europe return, and Bayern Munich may be the most realistic of the clubs linked.
Joao Felix’s move to Saudi Arabia was widely read as a step away from the top European stage, but his spell with Al Nassr has changed the conversation. After a run of loans through Catalonia, west London and Milan, the 26-year-old completed a $57.8 million switch in 2025 and has since looked far more settled in the Gulf.
Last season, Felix was named the Saudi Pro League’s star player as Al Nassr won the title, with the arrival of Jorge Jesus helping to unlock his best form. That resurgence has also revived interest in his future, especially after he told AS this week that he would like to return to Europe soon, possibly as early as next summer when his contract expires.
“I’m very happy in Saudi Arabia, enjoying my football,” he said. “But it’s true that I’m also thinking about returning [to Europe]. I don’t know if it will be next year, in two, three, or four, but I’d like to return to European competitions.”
Even so, a strong season in Saudi Arabia does not erase the uncertainty that has followed his career. The standard is not the same as Europe’s top leagues or the Champions League, and there is no guarantee that this version of Felix will look the same back on the continent. Still, the idea of a return remains tempting.
Paris Saint-Germain appear an unlikely option despite their Portuguese-leaning squad. Luis Enrique’s side have just claimed back-to-back Champions Leagues, but their summer attacking reshuffle and preference for a rigid 4-3-3 leave little room for a player of Felix’s profile.
Chelsea, despite his past there, also look improbable. His 40 games for the club brought 11 goals and two assists, and while the move to Al Nassr was good business, a third spell in west London does not seem realistic. The club have already added Morgan Rogers in the summer, while Xabi Alonso cannot always find space for Estêvão in a crowded attack.
Bayern Munich may be the most plausible of the clubs mentioned. Jamal Musiala’s strong start, Lennart Karl’s emergence, Serge Gnabry’s move into a No. 10 role and Ismael Saibari’s versatility all complicate the picture, but the German club remain in the market and have historical interest in Felix. If Barcelona do not move for Dani Olmo, Bayern could easily re-enter the discussion.
Al Hilal
The costliest transfer windows in football history: a club-by-club rundown
Chelsea, Liverpool and others headline football’s most expensive transfer windows ever.
Transfer spending has swollen to extraordinary levels, with clubs in England leading much of the charge. Even with rules designed to slow the pace, loopholes and deep pockets have kept the market moving at a scale that now regularly rewrites the record books. Once, the biggest windows belonged mostly to Europe’s traditional heavyweights. That is no longer the case.
Chelsea feature repeatedly in the discussion. Todd Boehly’s first window delivered a £254 million outlay, built around Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, plus smaller fees for Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The club then spent £278 million a few months later, led by Enzo Fernández’s then-British record £106.8 million move and the costly arrival of Mykhailo Mudryk. Another summer in 2025 pushed the total to £282 million, while a later window in 2026 saw Morgan Rogers become the most expensive English player in history at £117 million.
Arsenal’s busy summer of 2025 was shaped by Andrea Berta, who helped drive an unprecedented spending burst. Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze were the two most expensive signings, with Martín Zubimendi and Noni Madueke also arriving for hefty fees. Arsenal went on to win the Premier League title, though only Zubimendi became an undisputed starter.
Liverpool made history in 2025 by becoming the first club to spend more than £400 million in one window. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both arrived in British record deals, while Hugo Ekitiké came in for £69 million before add-ons. The club’s heavy spending sat against a backdrop of saving in previous years, record revenues and strong sales.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid’s 2009 window brought Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo for £233 million, while the 2019 attempt to repeat that scale brought disappointment through Eden Hazard and Luka Jović. Paris Saint-Germain’s 2023 spending helped fuel later Champions League success, Al Hilal’s 2023 splurge centred on Malcom and Neymar, and Tottenham’s 2026 window was driven by the need to avoid another bottom-three finish.
Al Nassr
Ronaldo at 100 SPL Games: How the First 100 in Saudi Stack Up Against Europe
Ronaldo reached 100 SPL appearances, scored twice in his centenary and early league numbers compared.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached 100 Saudi Pro League appearances in Friday’s match against Al-Najma. He scored twice in that 100th game as Al-Nassr won 5–2. Ronaldo joined the SPL in early 2023 and the centenary milestone invites a straightforward comparison with his first 100 matches in Europe’s top leagues.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner began his rise as a teenager in the Premier League with Manchester United. Across his first spell at the club (2003–09), and a brief return (2021–23), he totalled 236 Premier League appearances, 103 goals and 47 assists. In his first 100 Premier League matches he recorded 19 goals and 14 assists, according to StatMuse.
Ronaldo’s most prolific period arrived at Real Madrid over nine seasons (2009–18). In La Liga he made 292 appearances, scoring 311 goals and providing 95 assists. In his first 100 La Liga matches he scored 111 goals, including 14 hat tricks, according to StatMuse. That 111-goal start in Spain is 14 more goals than his output in the SPL, a gap that highlights how his scoring rates have varied across stages of his career.
After La Liga, Ronaldo moved to Serie A with Juventus (2018–22). He made 98 league appearances there, scoring 81 goals and adding 21 assists. Individual honours followed, including Serie A MVP for 2018–19 and Serie A Best Striker in 2020–21.
Beyond domestic leagues, Ronaldo has been prolific in European competition. In the UEFA Champions League he has 140 goals and 50 assists in 183 appearances.
The simple arithmetic of first-100 appearances underlines a career of evolving output. Age and the comparative level of the Saudi Pro League are referenced frequently when measuring his current returns against the double-digit scoring feats he produced earlier in La Liga and other top flights.
Al Ittihad
Salah’s Saudi suitors shrink as three clubs are reportedly ‘not interested’
Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli are out for Mohamed Salah; Al Ittihad and Al Qadsiah remain options .
Reports indicate Mohamed Salah’s options for a summer move to Saudi Arabia have narrowed after three of the country’s biggest clubs made clear they will not pursue him. ESPN says Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli are “not interested” in the Egypt international, reducing the number of serious bidders.
That leaves Al Ittihad as the clearest potential suitor. The club remain linked to Salah after their high-profile, unsuccessful $200 million (£150 million) approach in 2023. Al Ittihad have been persistent since that pursuit three years ago and are described as treating the 33-year-old as a long-term priority.
Al Qadsiah are cited as the only other feasible Saudi option if Salah decides to move to the Pro League, but the expectation is that Al Ittihad will be the side most capable of funding a deal. Dealmakers are believed to view the transfer as within Al Ittihad’s financial reach, and Salah is thought to be willing to consider a switch.
The central challenge for any bidder is the sporting case. Al Ittihad lost Karim Benzema to Al Hilal at the turn of the year, a departure described as an enormous blow, and the club may face further high-profile exits. Their current leading figure is Moussa Diaby, formerly of Aston Villa, but he is thought to be keen on an exit himself.
Other notable names at Al Ittihad include Youssef En-Nesyri and Roger Fernandes, alongside Fabinho, a former Liverpool teammate of Salah. The report suggests Fabinho could be departing too, with Manchester United’s Casemiro the preferred replacement.
Those changes have shown on the pitch. Last season’s Saudi champions now sit sixth in the Pro League, 25 points behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s league-leading Al Nassr, underlining why Al Ittihad might feel compelled to add a superstar if they hope to restore their standing.
